Georgetown Ohio Veterans Home (OVH) Administrator Nerleen Augustin, pictured on left, left accepts a listing of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) belonging to DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County), who resides at the OVH, along with a check from Past Department Commander Ray Hutchinson, pictured on right. The check was intended to provide a stipend to each of the Chapter #63 members. This stipend will be placed in each veteran’s Home Account and could be used for whatever the resident desires. “This is our way of displaying to the veteran that although they are not physically able to attend our regular chapter meetings now,” explained Hutchinson, “we still remember them and certainly appreciated their past active participation in the DAV.”
On July 19, 2024, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter #63 (Clermont County) remembered their chapter members at the Southern Ohio Veterans (OVH) by providing a check as a stipend to their accounts.
Past Department Commander (PDC) Raymond Hutchinson, a member of Chapter #63 since 1976, presented the check for $108 to Southern Ohio Veterans Home (OVH) Administrator Nerleen Augustin.
This check was intended to provide a stipend of $12 for each of the nine (9) residents belonging to the Clermont County Chapter #63.
Earlier in July, the DAV Department of Ohio provided a check to the OVH or $2,275 for a stipend of $25 for each of the ninety-one (91) veterans residing at the home. This was part of the DAV’s Annual Christmas in July Program for all the veterans at the home.
In addition to the $25 stipend provided to the Georgetown Home, the DAV Department of Ohio also provided a check for $7,525 as a stipend for the 301 veterans residing at the Sandusky OVH.
“This was the DAV Department of Ohio way to show that we not only appreciate our veterans, but we always remember them,” said DAV Department Commander Jeff Wittneben.
In 2023, the Clermont County Chapter provided the same $12 stipend to the residents at the Georgetown facility. The OVH Business Office sent a notice to the veterans that the extra funds in their individual account was provided by DAV Chapter #63.
Last year, several of the residents thanked us for the stipend that the chapter provided when we hosted their bingo games,” said PDC Ray Hutchinson, who serves as the DAV Department Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (V.A.V.S.) Deputy Representative for the Georgetown facility.
“We feel that it is important to remember our chapter members who are residing at the Ohio Veterans Home and physically cannot attend our chapter meetings,” noted Hutchinson.
“This is why we established our “DAV Ambassador” Program where our chapter members try to visit with all the residents as much as possible,” noted Hutchinson. “Just listening and talking with them provides assurance to them that we will always be there for them.”
The “DAV Ambassador” Program was curtailed during the Covid pandemic and was re-instated in 2023, when it was determined, by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS), to be safe for the residents to have guests.
The DAV Department and Chapter are currently working with the OVH Staff to have “special” meals prepared for the veterans. “These ‘special’ meals are things that veterans have asked for, like shrimp and servings of roast beef,” explained Hutchinson.
“We are going to start these veteran asked-for-meals in September and the DAV Department and Chapter will pay for them,” concluded Hutchinson. “Our veterans deserve these meals and we are happy to provide the special meals for them.”