SAUGUS — Wheelabrator Saugus presented a $5,000 check to Saugus’ Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 2346 Friday as part of Wheelabrator’s pledge to donate $10,000 to the organization’s 2022 Roll to D.C. trip.
“We value the opportunity to partner with a wide variety of community organizations in Saugus and the region,” Wheelabrator Market Manager John Farese said in a statement. “We are especially pleased to again support the effort to bring veterans to Washington, D.C., for what promises to be a memorable experience.
“Our veterans deserve our gratitude and respect. Supporting Roll to D.C. is one way for us to show it.”
Scheduled for September 2022, the four-day voyage will bring up to 90 Vietnam-era veterans from Melrose, Saugus, Lynn, and other surrounding towns to Washington D.C. to perform a wreath-laying ceremony at both the Vietnam Wall and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Also included on the itinerary is a stay at the Presidential Inn on Andrews Air Force Base (home of the presidential aircraft), as well as visits to a number of military memorials and statues.
Trip chair and Vietnam-era veteran Dennis Gould said trips like these are particularly important because they can offer a form of closure to men and women who still suffer from the mental and emotional effects of the trauma they endured during their service.
“If you served in Vietnam and lost a buddy, it’s still daunting to have that in your memory,” Gould said last month. “Some people really don’t get closure until they go to the Vietnam Wall and see their buddy’s name on it, or they do a trip like this and they lay a wreath.”
Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, however, normal fundraising activities have been put on hold, forcing the group to rely solely on donations from businesses, military organizations, and individuals, which will be key to reaching the organization’s $70,000 goal.
“This is huge,” Gould said of Wheelabrator’s donation. “This is a really tough time to fundraise, (so) the more businesses that jump in the better.
“(Donations) are really needed right now from businesses and individuals because we can’t do normal fundraisers like dances and auctions and all that stuff. Having the business come forward is really crucial to kicking this off.”
Individuals interested in donating can do so online on the trip’s page (Roll to DC 2022 Vietnam Era Veterans) at www.gofundme.com.
Those interested in becoming a sponsor can fill out a sponsor sheet or send donations to Roll to DC 2022, C/O Saugus VFW Post #2346, 190 Main St., Saugus, MA, 01906. Checks should be made out to “Saugus VFW Post #2346.” Comments should say “Roll to DC 2022.”
Any additional questions can be answered by calling Gould at (617) 257-4847.
