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Gold Star Spouses of America was honored to attend the White House Breakfast and present a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Members include Sri Benson, Kimberly Hughes, David Escobar, Gabby Kubinyi, Tamra Sipes, Suzanna Story.

Pictured at the White House, Secretary of the Navy, Bonnie Carroll, President of TAPS, Gary Ginsburg, National Commander of the Jewish War Veterans and Jack McManus President, Tom Burke, Vice President of Vietnam Veterans of America. 

    

     

Tamra Sipes with Pearl Harbor and Pacific War Survivor. On Stage   remaining World War II U.S. Liberators and the remaining two   Holocaust   survivors. Nationally broadcast on TV.   

Tamra Sipes was invited to attend the American Veterans Center, American Valor Gala on Nov. 9, honoring our World War II Soldiers. I had the pleasure of sitting with three World War II Veterans. One was the last Tuskegee airmen, another a Liberator of the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor and Pacific War Veteran - 104 year old! 

 Kimberly Hazelgrove, Vice President, pictured with Dr.     Mark Harris, President and CEO of Woody Williams       Foundation. at the 2nd Annual Foundation’s Legacy of   Service Gala on Nov 2 at Louisville Slugger Field in   Louisville, KY.  This special event celebrates the life and   mission of Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody”   Williams, who devoted his life to service and ensures his   legacy of recognizing and supporting Gold Star Families   lives on.

Volunteering at a VA Hospital or other National VA community or civic event?

Please make sure to identify yourself as a member of Gold Star Spouses of America. Gold Star Spouses of America is now recognized nationally in the Center for Development and Civic Engagement Portal (CDCEP). This is an application that is used by the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), one of the largest volunteer programs in the Federal Government, to track volunteer hours and monitor membership status of the VAVS National Advisory Committee member organizations.

CDCEP also tracks donations made to VA facilities nationwide. Volunteers work under Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the National Cemetery Association (NCA) and participate in several events such as the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, National Veterans Golden Age Games, National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, and National Veterans Winter and Summer Sports Clinics. CDCEP is critical to VA in that it is used to evaluate the impact of volunteers and donations on VA’s service to Veterans and provides documentation for coverage of volunteers under VA’s insurance. CDCE is responsible for the strategic utilization of volunteers, donations, and community partners for the purpose of supplementing and augmenting care and services for Veterans within VHA and furthering the outreach efforts to Veterans, families and caregivers across the Department.

Kimberly Hazelgrove, National Vice President, presented the first wreath for GSSA at the dedication ceremony of the Lorain County (OH) Gold Star Families Memorial Monument held on September 29, 2024, in front of a crowd of attendees including Gold Star families, elected officials and community members. As the Co-Chair of the memorial project, Kimberly joined a program of speakers including Congressman Bob Latta, Ann Duff, Assistant Director of the Office of Survivor Assistance and Dr. Mark Harris, President, Woody Williams Foundation to honor and recognize all military surviving families and relatives on the national day of remembrance. TAPS, Navy Gold Star Families, Army Survivor Outreach Services, local veteran organizations and Lorain County Veterans Service Office all helped connect local families to the event, providing them awareness and access to additional resources closer to home.

Julie Hammond, National Treasurer attended the Jacksonville, Florida Gold Star Mother and Family Brunch at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Area.  This was the fourth annual event put on by the First Coast Blue Star Mothers, the American Legion and Survivor Outreach Services.  See the link at News 4 Jacksonville.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2024/09/22/gold-star-families-gather-in-jacksonville-to-remember-the-fallen-and-honor-their-survivors/