Fifty Veterans, One Day: DAV Indiana Answers the Call in Schererville
Water does not check your DD-214 before it comes through the door. That was the reality across Lake County this month, and on Friday, August 21, the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Department of Indiana set up operations at the St. John Township Trustee Office & Community Center in Schererville to meet it head-on. By the time the doors closed after 9:00 PM, 50 veterans had been served and $35,000 in direct assistance had been delivered through the DAV Natural Disaster Relief Program. What the day looked like Department staff arrived in Schererville late in the morning to document the damage — photographs of flooded homes, ruined basements, and displaced families that would be submitted to DAV National Headquarters in support of relief grants for the veterans affected. By 2 p.m., the community center was open and veterans were arriving. Some came with folders of paperwork. Many came with nothing at all, having lost documents to the same water that took the furnace and the water heater. Department benefits advocates sat down with each veteran individually, worked through what they had lost, and started the relief process on the spot. There were also sandwiches — hundreds of them, donated by Operation BBQ Relief and assembled by volunteers — because a veteran who has spent four days hauling soaked drywall to the curb needs a meal before they need a form. Why this work matters The DAV Natural Disaster Relief Program exists for exactly this moment. When a natural disaster damages the home or property of a veteran, DAV can provide direct grant assistance to help that family recover. There is no cost and no obligation to the veteran, and the assistance is available to veterans of every generation. What makes disaster relief different from most of what we do is the clock. A claim can take months. A flooded home cannot wait months. Getting benefits advocates in the same room as affected veterans within days of the water receding is the difference between a family that recovers and a family that falls behind. Thank you This day happened because a lot of people said yes. Thank you to the St. John Township Trustee Office for opening the Community Center and helping us reach veterans across the township. Thank you to Operation BBQ Relief for donating meals without being asked twice. And thank you to the chapter officers, Area leadership, and volunteers from across northwest Indiana who gave up a Friday to serve their fellow veterans. "Our members have been answering this call for more than a century. When Indiana veterans get knocked down, DAV shows up. That is not a slogan — that is what happened in Schererville on Friday." — Rex A. Ritchie, Department Commander, DAV Department of Indiana "Fifty veterans and spouses walked in on Friday, and every one of them walked out knowing what comes next. That is the whole job." — Jason D. Black, Department Adjutant, DAV Department of Indiana There is no cost and no obligation. If you served, we can help. About DAV DAV (Disabled American Veterans) is a nonprofit that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families, helping more than 1 million veterans each year in positive, life-changing ways. DAV's services are offered at no cost or obligation to veterans, their families and survivors. Learn more at DAV.org. The DAV Department of Indiana represents DAV members and chapters across the state of Indiana. Learn more at davindiana.org. Keeping Our Promise to America's Veterans.
