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District 7 Hosts Spring Dinner for Veterans, Families at Hines VA Housing Community
April 29, 2024
Categories:
District 7, The Insider
District 7 and AFGE Local 781 hosted a spring dinner for veterans and their families living at Freedom’s Path, a housing community for low-income and previously unhoused veterans in Hines, Illinois.
The event brought together Building 2 residents of Freedom’s Path for a fun day that included dinner, dessert, an Easter egg hunt, and raffle prize drawings. The district also provided gifted flowerpot growing kits to all families and goodie bags with bubbles, candy, chalk, and a coloring book kit for kids.
Located on the Edward Hines, Jr. VA hospital campus, Freedom’s Path is an affordable housing community for veterans that is privately owned and operated. Residents pay 30% of their income in rent while the Housing Authority of Cook County subsidizes the remainder.
The district chose this location because it has many proud veterans and VA workers and wants to support at-risk veterans through ongoing community service and engagement.
The event was also a cooperation between the district and Hines VA with Hines VA Director James Doelling expressing an interest in continuing to work together in this capacity.
The dinner was part of District 7’s community building events that are held quarterly and planned by the district’s Community Service and Solidarity Committee. Local 781 President Germaine Clarno was very supportive and immediately agreed to help make it happen.
“As Hines employees and union representatives, taking care of our veterans and their families is a special mission,” said Clarno. “I’m so glad we were able to treat these families, especially the children, to an evening of food and fun. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Freedom’s Path, Hines VA, and AFGE District 7 to make more events like this happen.”
Being a part of the community
District 7 created the Community Service and Solidarity Committee, which is a committee of local leaders from across the district working together to foster a district culture of community service and engagement, to cultivate solidarity between locals within the district, and to develop and deepen relationships between the district and the community more broadly.
The committee has largely been working toward planning one community service program/event and one community building program/event per quarter. The goal is to ensure we have one of each in all three states covered by the district – Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
“At the core of what it means to be a union is the idea that we are stronger together. When we prioritize helping one another and standing united, we improve our working conditions and ultimately our lives,” said District 7 National Vice President Jason Anderson. “The purpose of the District 7 Community Service and Solidarity Committee is to bring the union mentality to the community. By working together to support those in need, we not only build stronger connections among our members, but also set an example for a better world. It’s about lifting each other up and making sure nobody gets left behind—because that’s what being a union is all about: making positive change together, both at work and in our communities.”
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