Margaret Rose, the commander for DAV Auxiliary Unit 16 in Altamont Springs, Florida, stands with Army veteran Willie Thompson during a recent visit to an Orlando-area nursing home. Rose and about 10 other members of her unit and DAV Chapter 16 in Longwood, Florida, regularly visit nursing homes in the area to meet with veterans to provide gift bags and information about Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and DAV’s programs and services. The visits started after participating in the first-ever DAV Community Impact Day in April 2024.

When DAV started receiving photos and emails from our first DAV Community Impact Day in April, we knew it was going to become an annual event. The feedback we heard was overwhelmingly positive, and we loved seeing communities come together to help veterans.

It’s also been a catalyst for some chapters to host ongoing organized volunteer events. Sparking continued and growing volunteerism in DAV’s name around the country was exactly what we had hoped would come from this initiative.

DAV Chapter 16 in Longwood, Florida, is a great example of this. For its Community Impact Day participation on April 6, life member Regina Johnson pulled together a group of volunteers from her chapter and partnered with DAV Auxiliary Unit 16 Commander Margaret Rose and her volunteers in nearby Altamonte Springs. Together, they met with veterans in Orlando-area nursing homes.

“Come to find out there’s so many veterans at the nursing homes that are not with the (Department of Veterans Affairs),” Johnson said.

She said not only are many of these veterans not getting their VA benefits, but many have also been forgotten, with little done to recognize their service. So she decided to change that.

Johnson got a list of all 136 nursing homes in the area and, with Rose’s help, gathered the team of volunteers to start making phone calls. They wanted to find out how many veterans were in each home and sought permission to make visits.

These visits happen regularly now. Johnson said there’s a group of about 10 volunteers who help, but she’d love to see more. Each veteran they meet gets a gift bag and hears about VA benefits and DAV programs and services. Veterans who are over 80 have a chance to sign up for a free DAV membership on the spot.

DAV member and senior vice commander of DAV Chapter 16 in Longwood, Florida, Regina Johnson visits with a veteran at an Orlando-area nursing home. Johnson and about 10 other members of her chapter and DAV Auxiliary Unit 16 in Altamont Springs, Florida, regularly visit nursing homes in the area to meet with veterans to provide gift bags and information about Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and DAV’s programs and services. The visits started after participating in the first-ever DAV Community Impact Day in April 2024.

“It puts a smile on my face, and it puts a smile on the veterans’ faces,” she said. “It just makes me feel good that I can do that to the veterans who have been forgotten.”

Since retiring from the Army in 1996 and from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2008, Johnson has dedicated her time to volunteering for veterans. She was recently elected as the senior vice commander for Chapter 16 and was named the Department of Florida Veteran of the Year.

She said she’d like to see this volunteer opportunity expand to other chapters and units across DAV and the Auxiliary.

We want to extend a huge thank-you to Johnson, Rose and all the volunteers from the chapter and Auxiliary unit for doing such amazing work. It’s inspiring to see each of you take care of your own in this way. Keep up the great work!

If any other chapters have questions about how to implement a similar program where they are, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].