Bethel Park Elks bring Christmas joy to local veterans
For as long as Bonnie Filyo can remember, the Bethel Park Elks Lodge 2213 has staged an annual Christmas party for resident veterans of the Southwestern Veterans Center in Pittsburgh. The party starts with Bingo and ends with cupcakes, ice cream and soda pop.
However, when Filyo became the lodge’s exalted ruler in 2012, she decided to add Christmas gifts to the annual celebration.
The residents are veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and range in age from 47 to 102, she said. Of the 236 patients living at the center, 30 are female veterans of World War II.
“Many of the vets have no living relative and are largely forgotten,” she said. “They served their country, and they deserve something special and to be remembered during the holidays, which is why we’re involved.”
Each September, Filyo contacts the activities director of the center asking for a list of gift requests. Employees at the center ask each resident what they might like to receive, then write the request on a form that is sent to the Elks Lodge by Oct. 1.
“We try to get them gifts they actually want,” said Gene Eckman, the lodge’s leading knight and Bethel Park resident.
Filyo and her sister, Dorothy Sheldon, a fellow lodge member, then set out to buy the gifts for all 236 veterans. They include everything from radios, razors and talking clocks for the sight impaired to sweatsuits, candy, cases of soda pop and water, books, crossword puzzles, comforters, blankets and pillows.
“Whatever they ask for, we try to get,” Filyo said. “Buying the gifts is a lot of work, but it’s worth it when you see the looks on the faces of the vets. They’re just like little kids at Christmas, and it makes you feel real good.”
Money to purchase the gifts, which costs more than $7,000, comes out of the lodge members’ pockets and from donations from organizations like the McCormick Dorman VFW Post 694 in Dormont, Vietnam Veterans, Inc. and the Bethel Park Women’s Club. The lodge also gets grant money from the Elks Grand Lodge in Chicago. To help keep costs down, Filyo and her sister buy regularly requested gifts year round to take advantage of sales.
“With the help of members, the girl scouts, the Bethel Park Women’s Club and church members, it takes three weeks to wrap everything with a card attached to every gift box,” Filyo said.
For this year’s party, held Dec. 19, Michael Zubanic, owner of Basic Building Interiors of Bethel Park and two employees, loaded the gifts into a box truck, drove it to the center and unloaded it. The veterans gathered in the activities room at the center to play Bingo, then enjoyed refreshments of cup cakes, ice cream and beveridges, followed by the disbursement of the gifts. The Elks Lodge also footed the expenses for $300 in Bingo prize money and another $150 for the refreshments.
In addition to volunteers from the Keystone Young Marines, additional help came from Bethel Park Elks lodge members, representatives from Wilkins Elks Lodge #577 and Allegheny Lodge #339, nine boy scouts and six of their leaders from Troop #4 and five girl scouts and three of their leaders from Troop #57016 in Bethel Park who assisted in the Bingo component and serving the refreshments. Center staff later delivered the gifts to the veterans housed in the Alzheimer’s Unit who were unable to make it to the party.
“Young people need to see the veterans who fought for our freedoms and don’t have a lot of visitors,” Eckman said. “We tell the kids to ask them about their experiences and interact with them.”
“The kids even helped wheel some of the veterans back to their rooms, and the vets were happy to see so many youngsters participate in the event,” Filyo added.
Chris Veitch, therapeutic recreation services supervisor at the center, said the veterans look forward to the event each year.and that it’s very much appreciated.
“The Elks do a lot for us each year,” he said. “The annual Christmas party is one of the biggest events held here at the Center and the one where the most gifts are given to the vets by any single organization.”