Visually Impaired Veterans’ Harbor Cruise

The 5^th Annual Visually Impaired Veterans’ Harbor Cruise took place on Wednesday, March 27 at the Newport Harbor Elks Lodge #1767. It was mild, sunny and a perfect day for 21 veterans and their 6 aides from the Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC) of the Long Beach Veterans Hospital. There were 20 Elk volunteers to provide some social companionship, guide them through the day’s events and ensure their every need was met.

The Veterans bus arrived at the lodge close to 10 am. They were served a light breakfast, introduced to Elk volunteers and shared some comforting social time before teaming up with a volunteer in preparation for the harbor cruise.

As the veterans made their way down the dock ramp, wheel chairs, walkers and white canes didn’t interfere with the veterans getting loaded onto the boats. They easily maneuvered the gangway and the roomy pontoon boats made it easy for all to enjoy the ride.

When the veteran’s returned from the cruise, they were treated to a lunch of fried chicken, sandwiches, all the picnic style trimmings and a homemade dessert. Bryan Baker, Lodge Exalted Ruler, and Angela Anderson, Lodge Veterans Chairman, spoke a bit about Elkdom, how proud the lodge was to host the annual event, and thanked them for their service to the country. Then Liz Greco, Veterans BRC Coordinator, thanked the lodge for hosting this event and encouraged the veterans to stand up, introduce themselves and their branch of service and share a few words about themselves. They all did! Many of the comments centered around the BRC at the VA Hospital and how the BRC has been instrumental in teaming up with charitable organizations like the Elks for special outings.

One veteran commented, “I’ve been blind for several years and started doing a lot with the BRC. I now stay more socially engaged due to the BRC and organizations like the Elks that fund outings for us”. Another veteran commented, “I feel more comfortable and now plan to go on all outings and this is a great one. This is the closest I’ve been to water and on a boat. Even though I can’t see, I like being here to touch, hear and feel.”

At the end of the event and as the veterans made their way to the bus, they received a gift bag filled with a blanket and a $30 gift card. The Elk volunteers felt proud to hand them that parting gift.

Elk Volunteers: Veteran’s Chairman and Event Coordinator Angela Anderson, Pontoon Boat Captains were Jim Bennett, Frank Cuccia and Robert Stevens. Volunteers Past District Deputy Exalted Ruler Stan Malkin & wife Frankie, Exalted Ruler Bryan Baker, Esquire Gilbert Rodela, Trustee Maureen Schaller, Allison Bunning, Hal LaChapelle, Darlene Covington, Kirsten Schmieder, Karen Johnson, Rick Van de Walle, Danielle Slutzky, Yvonne Richards, Vallerie Gonzales, Hal LaChapelle, Richard RJ Green, Pamela Adkins, Tracie Burik and Scott Roth.