Volunteers needed to share luncheon with veterans
Looking for a Valentine's Day date?
The VA Butler Healthcare Medical Center on New Castle Road will be hosting a lunch date with veterans on Wednesday, and everyone is invited to the free event.
The event is part of the National Salute to Veteran Patients Week, a Department of Veterans Affairs program. And for more than 10 years, the VA Butler Healthcare has marked the occasion with several events spread throughout the week, including the luncheon.
“We do it out of respect for the veterans. They've done so much for our country and that's one way of giving back for all they've done for us,” said Maryann Capuzzi, a recreation therapist with the VA. “There's enjoyment and satisfaction people get out of it. A feel good kind of thing. You get to hear their stories, too.”
The event will start at 11 a.m. in the auditorium at the old campus on New Castle Road. Around noon, a Patsy Cline tribute artist, played by Cathi Rhodes, will perform the late singer's music for attendees.
“You have to remember these are patients here toward the end of their lives and they bring them here not just for the food,” said Andy Pepe, chief of voluntary services. “When Patsy Cline starts singing you can see it take them back to their era, their time.”
Cline's blend of pop-country music peaked in the early 1960s, shortly before her death in a plane crash in 1963.
The event, Pepe said, is meant to also encourage people to volunteer and help veterans with their daily lives. Pepe said they are especially in need of drivers to take veterans to their hospital and doctor appointments.
“Volunteering helps your life, too,” Pepe said.” The more people we have, the more people we can help.”
Capuzzi has helped organize the luncheon over the years, and she said that volunteer dates are needed for veterans whose spouses may have died or for those who are single.
“It's a Valentine's Day luncheon, right? So we get the guys tuxedo shirts. We pair them up with a date for that day,” Capuzzi said. “With the music and spending time with their loved ones, the socialization. It's just a real fun and festive atmosphere.”
