VOLUNTEER CENTER ANNOUNCES VETERANS DAY FUNDRAISER FOR OPERATION UNITED
ChoiceOne Bank volunteers working on a veteran’s yard in May 2019.
This Veterans Day, the Volunteer Center at Heart of West Michigan United Way is asking the community to raise $500 to bring an Operation United project to the home of a local veteran.
Operation United is a day of service projects at the homes of Kent County veterans. Heart of West Michigan United Way held its first Operation United on May 17 earlier this year. The event drew 318 volunteers who mulched flower beds, repaired fences, painted houses, trimmed trees, built ramps, and more at the homes of 23 veterans and their families.
Project recipients ranged from a 95-year-old World War II veteran to a guardsman still on active duty. One veteran, responding to a survey after Operation United, offered this testimony about the project’s impact:
“What you have done for me and my family is far more than anyone realizes. I really struggled accepting it at first because I felt there were 'needier' people. Having now experienced the goodwill and love of others I realize how much I really needed it too.”
“We realized there was an unmet need among local veterans for services like this,” said Katelyn Kovalik, Volunteer Center manager. “And we also thought there would be a willingness in the community to help. The number of people who actually signed up and the number of companies who got involved really impressed us.”
Read MLive’s story about how Operation United made a difference for the Price family.
Even with the backing of Home Depot and others, the Volunteer Center received more requests for help than it was able to meet that day. Additional projects have been undertaken over the last six months, including one on Nov. 8 at a home in Jenison.
$500 will cover the cost of one additional home improvement project during the next Operation United, which will take place on May 15, 2020. Though the specifics of the project will vary depending on the needs of the veteran, Kovalik gave a few examples of what the money could provide:
$25: solar lamps for safer walkways
$50: fresh mulch for flower beds
$100: lumber and hardware to fix a broken fence or stairway
$200: dumpster to haul away yard waste
“We know this community cares about veterans and we’re excited to see the impact we can make in 2020,” Kovalik said.
To donate to the Volunteer Center’s Veterans Day fundraiser for Operation United, visit the Mobile Cause page.
The Volunteer Center is also accepting applications for Operation United 2020. Veterans, current service members, and their families living in Kent County are eligible. Would-be recipients may apply directly or be nominated by friends or family familiar with their needs.
Watch WOOD TV’s story on 92-year-old veteran and Operation United project recipient George Burr.
Watch WZZM 13’s story on 95-year-old Army veteran Karl Hofstra, another project recipient.