Gretchen Davies

DAV (Disabled American Veterans) has named Gretchen Davies, of Milwaukee, the 2020 DAV Auxiliary George H. Seal Memorial Trophy recipient. Davies will be formally recognized during the DAV & Auxiliary Virtual Salute program scheduled for Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. Eastern time at dav.org/virtualsalute.

Each year, the award honors the DAV Auxiliary’s top volunteer through the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) Program.

“Ms. Davies is known throughout the Milwaukee VA Medical Center for her smile and for the joy she exudes while volunteering,” said Auxiliary National Commander Diane Franz. “An Army veteran herself, she works in a variety of capacities to make sure all veterans—and other volunteers—are taken care of to the best of her ability. If there’s a need, she steps up to the plate. We’re honored to present her with this award, and we’re thankful for her selfless service.”

Davies began volunteering at the VA hospital soon after her retirement from the Department of Revenue in 2014. What started out as volunteering a few hours a week quickly expanded to four hours daily, five days a week.

“Ms. Davies is knowledgeable and reliable as a volunteer and is a great asset to our program,” said Jessica Serdynski, VAVS program manager. “She has an uplifting spirit and encourages other volunteers to be the same way.”

By volunteering in numerous areas throughout the facility, Davies knows the majority of the regular volunteers and is able to fill in the gaps when needed to ensure veterans’ needs are still met. She volunteers throughout the medical center, dedicating her time to the DAV Transportation Network, patient escort duty, adult day health care, nursing service and voluntary service, doing whatever is asked of her.

Photos and media may be made available upon request.

 

About DAV
DAV empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. It is dedicated to a single purpose: fulfilling our promises to the men and women who served. DAV does this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them, fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill, providing employment resources to veterans and their families, and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. DAV, a nonprofit organization with more than 1 million members, was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at www.dav.org.