From the beginning, we hoped DAV Community Impact Day would be more than a single day of service. We saw its potential to be a catalyst for gathering in the name of veterans and spurring continued volunteer service.
That’s why hearing stories like the following is heartwarming and inspiring.
When DAV member Jennifer Alvarado and Auxiliary member Terri Lazzaro learned about Community Impact Day in early 2025, they saw it as an opportunity to provide an outlet for people to give back. They were looking for ways to revitalize Chapter 66 in Hammonton, New Jersey, and promote its recently chartered Auxiliary unit.
They landed on organizing volunteers to refresh their meeting space.
“It was run down,” Lazzaro said. “We thought it should be a neater, cleaner, more vibrant place. It snowballed from there.”
Volunteers pressure-washed the outside, cleaned out the space, painted walls and made repairs. A local business refinished the floors with fresh epoxy at no cost.
“It brought us all together,” Lazzaro said. “We couldn’t believe how many people showed up.”
The result was a meeting hall the chapter’s members could be proud to invite others to.
“We’re now doing actual outreach because of this,” Alvarado said.
The hall, once only used for monthly meetings, now hosts frequent events including a winter homeless veterans stand down, monthly veteran coffee meetups, benefits seminars and a first-ever “Vetsgiving” dinner for veterans and their families.
Other organizations are renting out the space, generating income the chapter uses to help local veterans in need. The local newspaper has started promoting chapter events. The town of Hammonton invited the chapter and unit to march in both its Halloween and Fourth of July parades. Other local nonprofits are calling the chapter and unit asking how they can be involved.
“Community Impact Day has had a greater impact than we realized,” Alvarado said.
Vetsgiving, in particular, was the highlight for her because it represented the newfound vibrancy of a chapter that was growing stagnant. She watched as members and their families shared a meal with each other, strengthening the community and the trust they’ve built over the past year.
Lazzaro said they’re looking forward to building on the momentum that started last April.
“We need to help,” she said. “We need to bring people out of their shells and literally save a life.”
Big change can happen from a single act of service. Please consider pledging an hour of time serving veterans on April 4 at communityimpactday.org and see the change you can spark.
