A Long, Busy Summer and Fall for the Douglas County Veterans Memorial Association

By Larry Morrison

As spring arrives and the weather gets warmer, the members of the DCVMA know it is time to knuckle down and get busy with the work that has been planned. 

Beginning the first Thursday in April, the DCVMA has Thursday Night Music.  The evening is free to the public and runs from the first Thursday in April through the second Thursday in October.  The event features a different musical band venue each week.  And, a free drawing is offered each week, with give aways and gifts at halftime.

May 18 is the date for the DCVMA’s Victory Run, a 100-mile ride through the Ozark Mountains. The group travels through Bradleyville across to Theodosia, then up to Squires and returns to the DCVMA post for announcement of winners and presentation of door prizes.  There will also be a silent auction for an area rug, tools, Branson show tickets and four front row seats to a St. Louis baseball game.  Those tickets are sold for a value of over $600.

In addition to Thursday Night Music and Tuesday Morning breakfasts, the DCVMA has also scheduled 54 additional days of service work or fund raising events within a 75-mile radius of Ava.  All these events will begin winding down on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 when the winning ticket is drawn for the Raffle.  This year the raffle is for 1,000 gallons of gasoline. It will be a Walmart gas card and may be used at any Murphy’s gas station in the United States. 

That will not be the end of the season, after that they will host a catered dinner to honor our veterans and sponsors at Thanksgiving and will give away three complete Thanksgiving dinner baskets prepared by Town and Country Supermarket.  A family from each of the local school districts, Ava, Skyline, and Plainview, will receive a basket.  Each basket will include a 20-pound turkey, large ham, side dishes, bread, milk, soda, and dessert.  At Christmas, the DCVMA will again sponsor and provide baskets to three more families from the three school districts.

There are three types of people in this world.  Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.

If anyone is interested in joining an organization that makes things happen, and wants to be a part of the group that brought The Wall That Heals to Ava –– an organization that supports underprivileged children and Wright County Children’s Home; an organization that makes veterans, senior citizens and underprivileged children a priority and finally an organization that is dedicated to making Ava and Douglas County a safe, healthy and happy place to raise a family or retire, then we encourage you to check out the DCVMA.  

Last year we completed over 31 projects. The DCVMA is seeking participants, not observers.  

We are the only organization that offers a business membership, if interested, contact Butch Linder, president, or any DCVMA member for details.

We Serve – Because We Care.