To give students the opportunity to engage with veterans, the Interact Club along with the Support Our Troops Club hosted the Veterans Brunch on November 12 at the high school.
The Veterans Brunch is a community event that means a lot to many students and veterans.
“It’s a good thing [students] are doing,” Korean War veteran Robert Dell said. “I’m always happy to see that people are interested.”
According to Support Our Troops Club co-president Katie Eakins, this event is something that can bring the community together. “It brings our community together and gives veterans and students who are interested to have this opportunity to talk to each other and make connections,” Eakins said. “It gives everybody a chance to talk about their experiences and bring each other closer together.”
Korean War veteran Gordon Bell said that it’s “really nice” of the high school to hold the brunch. “It’s a very nice project and I think it’s something a lot of students [can] get out of it,” Bell said.
According to Bell, this event is a way for veterans to talk to students about their experiences at war. Students also can learn how veterans have contributed to America.
“The benefit of this event is that it shows me that the school is interested in what made the country great. I think that [the veterans] here have contributed in creating what you guys are benefiting from today,” Bell said.
Students are given the opportunity to learn from an older generation that has lived through a unique turbulent time in the country.
“We want the students to understand what the veterans went through and what they sacrificed,” Interact Club advisor Kathy Perricone said. Students can grow by learning about some experiences the veterans had.
“Students can learn a lot from talking to veterans, and I think their stories can be really inspiring,” Support Our Troops Club co-president Sammi Libor said.
According to Perricone, the community can benefit from supporting local veterans by being “able to appreciate everything they have done for us in their lives.” The brunch is also a way for veterans to spend time having conversations with younger generations.
“Bringing joy to the veterans and having people there for them to talk to, just making it known that they are appreciated by the community is important,” Eakins said.
Through hosting the brunch, students acknowledge the sacrifices made for the country. “It’s important to honor people who have served even after they are done serving,” Libor said.
According to Eakins, veterans feel appreciated when they are treated with respect and good behavior. “It makes me happy that they are just so appreciative of what we are doing, especially when we are trying to appreciate them,” Eakins said. “I think that is just a really cool experience.”