One of the objectives of Kiwanis is to build better communities. The Kiwanis Club of Chester has been working diligently toward that objective, and we have been assisted with many from our area to help us meet that goal.
Over the past three years we have strived to recognize our military veterans. WWII veterans in 2015 and Korean War veterans in 2016 were invited to dinners provided by Sibley & Son. In 2017 our long-neglected Vietnam-era veterans were treated to a picnic-style dinner provided by King’s Korner Catering at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, where the exhibition building was renamed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Building.
On May 5, many of these Vietnam veterans attended a picnic hosted by the club and president Jamie Moore at a Chesterfield farm where they could enjoy food and an opportunity to socialize with others who understand what they experienced when they came home and they could once again hear “thank you.” One of the veterans expressed: “This was a good time to heal.”
This event was made possible by the support of many in the Chester community: Heritage Chevrolet, Jay Burchell, Marcello Passalacqua, Steve LaPrade/Kustom Karts of Virginia, Sheriff Karl Leonard, Carl Adams (EMS), VFW Post No. 1426, Jimmy Mayes/County Waste and C. F. Currin.
There is a saying “It takes a village.” Chester can surely be proud of its village.
Pat Dvorak
