WOMEN'S REPUBLICAN CLUB HONORS OUR MILITARY CAREGIVERS by Susan Warren
This was our fifth year hosting such a meaningful spring luncheon, with
Carol Bowis, Caring for America, in the lead. As the liaison for our
club and the caregivers, it has been my honor to coordinate the
invitations to our treasured guests.
Our annual club luncheon to honor the caregivers from Walter Reed and
Ft. Belvoir was a grand success. Despite a cold rainy misty day
nothing could dampen anyone's spirits. Even our bagpiper Dan Friz
willingly stood in the front yard to play for our guests as they
disembarked a bus provided by the Yellow Ribbon Fund. All of our
members were cheering and welcoming the ladies as they entered the house.
Planned as a garden party at the home of Jayne Plank, we were forced
indoors, but soon realized this was an unexpected blessing. Rather
than have 14 caregivers and 30 club members scattered around the garden
everyone was comfortably seated in one of three spacious rooms, making
the entire luncheon far more intimate. As always, we opened in
prayer, and then enjoyed a marvelous pot luck lunch. During this time
the ladies were able to enjoy personal conversations, getting to know
each other.
We were honored to have as our guest speaker Dava Guerin, coauthor of
"Unbreakable Bonds...the Mighty Moms and Wounded Warriors of Walter
Reed." In her book, she highlighted the stories of ten women, one of
whom was our guest. Many of them have attended our luncheons in
previous years. She has developed a keen understanding of the
challenges these woman face daily and they appreciated having her with
us to bridge the gap between civilians and the hospital life of the
wounded and ill family members.
After her short message, we opened up the floor for our guests to
introduce themselves, offering their names, where they hail from, and a
short history of their loved one's injuries, their triumphs and
tragedies here at the hospital. It was clear that for these caregivers
to be together was an extraordinary time for them as well as for us.
They rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to share their lives in an
intimate setting such as this. There were tears and laughter, but
they rely heavily on their sense of humor to see them through the daily
regime of doctor appointments, meetings, and physical care for their
loved ones.
Before our guests departed, we had some special gifts for them. The
generosity of our club members and non-club members raised enough in
donations so that each lady attending was given a $75 Target (their
store of choice) gift card and $45 cash. Additionally, Jayne Plank
gave each lady a $100 gift card to Under Armor.
The next day I received some loving 'thank you' messages from some of
our guests and here are just a couple of them: From Jacqueline: "I know
you all worked really hard to make everything come together. I was so
thankful to you for allowing Patricia and I to come to the luncheon. It
was a beautiful day for us despite the yucky weather. I loved talking
to the sweet ladies from your group. They were so fun and encouraging.
We had a rough month so this was just the uplifting I needed!" From
Claudia: "Thank you for your hospitality, everything was wonderful, the
food was delicious and the company was the best!"
As Carol Bowis quoted, "Freedom isn't free...we have these brave
caregivers, and their soldiers they care for, to thank for their
sacrifice. It was our privilege to thank them in person." There were
many club members who worked very diligently and to them we give thanks.
