Carthage VFW Auxiliary provides Christmas in July for veterans

Jul. 24—CARTHAGE, Mo. — Although the calendar might read July 25 on Tuesday, it'll be Christmas at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mount Vernon.

It's all part of a project by a Veterans of Foreign Wars auxiliary to let veterans know they're remembered and respected year-round, organizers said.

"Everybody donates stuff to those guys at Christmas," said Camilla Marshall, president of the Carthage VFW Post 2590 Auxiliary. "I mean, they're overwhelmed with gifts. By midsummer, they're fairly well forgotten."

Marshall said although the auxiliary visits the veterans home every month — taking cards, treats, dressing up silly and visiting every veteran — this visit is special. They decided that instead of a December celebration, they would give them a Christmas in July.

The auxiliary won't just deliver gifts Tuesday. They will throw them a party complete with smoked pork sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, mac and cheese, cake and cobbler. Santa and Mrs. Claus will attend the party as well.

In the second year of the event, the auxiliary raised $3,407 in cash and $2,850 in gifts for 112 veterans.

Marshall said their long list of community partners is fantastic. The auxiliary gets a large amount of support for the project not only from Carthage but also Webb City and Joplin.

"We're extremely grateful," Marshall said. "We could not do this without our sponsors; we've had very generous folks involved."

The Missouri Veterans Home in Mount Vernon is one of seven veterans homes in the state. It provides residential, nursing and rehabilitative care for elderly and chronically ill Missouri veterans.

The auxiliary starts Christmas preparations by making a list of veterans, their birthdate, the branch they served and when, and their Christmas wish list. Then, they make cards with this information and distribute them to community partners including the Joplin Elks, Webb City Elks and Southwest Missouri Bank to adopt a veteran.

Marshall said the auxiliary adopted many veterans, and some people adopted several veterans on their own.

Participants purchased gifts and put them in decorative bags. The gifts this year include music and DVDs, Pittsburg State University apparel, gift cards, printed guitar music, alcohol and lots of chocolate.

It's important to the auxiliary and their partners to put in the hard work to provide it all, Marshall said.

"They gave so much to us that anything we can do to give back is still not enough," Marshall said.

Michael Juris, commander of VFW Post 2590, and his wife dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus last year. As Santa, Juris said he got to see the gratitude in the veterans' eyes.

"You know when you walk in there and give them a home-cooked meal, it brightens their eyes and puts a pep in their step," Juris said. "When we get to that age, I would certainly not want someone to forget us."

Juris said he served with a helicopter squad in the service and did Christmas in July quite often. The idea is nothing new to those who serve in the military. Christmas in July has always been a way to lift their spirits while serving overseas away from family, he said.

It's also used as an outreach tool to those the military protects, he said.

"If we were out and about and it was July, we would get care packages together for people that didn't have all that," Juris said. "You could walk up with a candy bar and brighten up the whole family."

The VFW's mission is veterans helping veterans, and the Christmas in July project by the auxiliary fits that mission in a big way, Juris said.

"I can't say enough about our auxiliary and everybody involved in doing this," Juris said. "This is top-notch stuff. It brings a tear to your eye. I don't know how anybody's eye can stay dry, especially when you're over there."

The Carthage auxiliary starts preparation for the Christmas in July project around early June, Marshall said. If people want to get involved for next year, they can contact Carthage VFW Post 2590.