Military Officer - October 2008 - (Page 68) in in-kind donations from area busin nesses to needy military families. M Members also host monthly dinners fo for patients and their families, ship cl clothing and duffel bags to injured so soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medic ical Center in Germany, and have co contributed $25,000 to Tampa’s F Fisher House, which provides housin ing to family members visiting h hospitalized servicemembers. In March 2007, members of the P Pikes Peak (Colo.) Chapter followed th the Tampa Chapter’s lead when th they began hosting the Joe Gmelch W Wounded Warrior Social for sold diers in the Warrior Transition Unit (W (WTU) at Fort Carson, Colo. Named in honor of late chapter member Lt. C Col. Joe Gmelch, USA, the monthly m meetings provide a social outlet for so soldiers who are placed on medical h hold. Some recover from their injuri ries and return to active duty, while ot others must make the transition to ci civilian life. “The [monthly] socials are actu tually pretty fun,” says Spc. Gavin Si Sibayan, USA, who joined the WTU af after being hit three separate times by IEDs. “We have a great time, ever erybody gets along, and soldiers in th the unit get recognized.” The chapter hosts an annual golf tournament that raises funds to pay for the nonalcoholic beverages it provides at the socials, and gifts from area businesses are distributed at the socials. Chapter auxiliary members serve food donated by local businesses or by The Home Front Cares, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by Pikes Peak (top) Pikes Peak Chapter member Lt. Col. Jay Magee Jr., USA-Ret., left, talks with a Joe Gmelch Wounded Warrior Social attendee. (left) Pikes Peak Chapter member Capt. Adolph Borysko, USA-Ret., second from right, engages a small crowd during the chapter-sponsored social. 68 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2008 http://www.moaa.org/helping
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