Ceil Levatino
SOT (Support our Troops) AZ shared a lot of love in 2019 and we look forward to doing more in 2020.
We ended the year by hosting the annual Christmas dinner on Dec. 22 for more than 80 vets and their families at the Eloy Senior Citizens Center. There was one WWII widow whose husband served in the South Pacific. She lost him just last year. We also had the honor of serving dinner to one Korean War vet, a large number of Vietnam vets, along with those who served in Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Turkeys, hams, side dishes, and desserts were donated, along with many Christmas baked goods. There was enough food for everyone to take home leftovers for a second meal including a bag of baked Christmas treats. This truly was the “feel good” event of the season for the volunteers and vets alike. The event was supported not only by SOT-AZ, but the Robson community in general. A special thank you to the Robson Pottery Club, the Robson Vagabonds, and Rock Springs Church. All were huge supporters and it wouldn’t have happened without them.
We kicked off the new year by welcoming new members to the board of directors and committee chairs. They are: Jim Ensweiler, president; Tom Walton, past president; Ray Jegge, secretary; Leo Wiemelt, treasurer; Pat Jegge, director; Esther Aar, director; Steve Reeves, director; Ceil Levatino, director and public relations; and Frank Pirkel, membership.
Many of the committee chairs will continue to serve, particularly those who have done such extraordinary work to make our annual golf tournament and auction such a huge success. Our sincerest thanks and gratitude to Dan Conrad, who completed his term, and Wayne Moritz who completed his term but will continue to chair the flag committee.
On Jan. 2, one of our founding members, Jim Law Commander, USN (Ret.) held a book signing and talk in the Hermosa Ballroom. It was fascinating to listen to Jim talk about WWII history and what it takes to write a book! A portion of each book sold will go to SOT-AZ for our programs. You can order one by going to Amazon and searching for World War II Transport Pilot.
Looking ahead:
1. The Board meets the second Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. in the Sports Club. Our meetings are open to the residents of RR and we’d love to have you come by!
2. We will be placing a box in the foyer of the Sports Club beginning February to collect socks that will be distributed to our vets along with new shoes at the annual “Stand Down” at the end of March. We really need ankle socks this year, along with regular white sports socks. Please, no dress socks.
3. There are only 11 spots left for flags along Robson Boulevard. If you would like to sponsor one, or would like one for your front yard, please contact Wayne Moritz at [email protected] or 360-661-1221. They are $30 each. Every flag you see flying along the boulevard has been purchased by a Robson Ranch resident.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please feel free to contact Ceil Levatino at [email protected] or 575-644-6763.
Please keep our veterans and active military in your thoughts and prayers.