Tag Archives: veteran

RUN4VETS 2012 McHenry Supports Local Veteran Programs

Join McHenry TLS Veterans and support our local veterans this Veteran’s Day at the first annual RUN4VETS event. Mark your calendar for Nov. 11, 2012 and meet at Lippold Park in Crystal Lake.

The goal of this event is to honor our military and veterans and to let the community know that TLS Veterans is available to them. No veteran should ever be homeless or be hungry.

Mrs. Marge Gunnar & Dr. Rolf Gunnar

Mrs. Marge Gunnar & Dr. Rolf Gunnar at Bravehearts Therapeutic Riding & Educational Center. Photo credit TLS McHenry.

The 5K run starts at 9:00 and the 5K walk begins immediately afterward. RUN4Vets needs volunteers to make sure the day is successful. There are many ways you can help out including:

  • Help secure Sponsors
  • Distribute fliers
  • Set up / clean up
  • Donate new toys
  • Donate item/prize/money
  • Help during the run
  • Whatever / wherever the need is

If you can help out, please contact RUN4VETS through the Volunteer sign up form.

TLS Veterans operates New Horizons, a transitional-living center for homeless veterans in Hebron. TLS also operates a drop-in center in McHenry, IL, that serves as a hub for a Lake-McHenry County initiative focusing on the well-being of veterans and military families. Peer support by veterans is the key for this initiative’s major goals to cut veteran homelessness, suicide prevention and reduction of psychiatric hospitalizations by transforming the way services are delivered. 

The Voices of Veterans Writer’s Group, open to all military veterans meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 6-8PM. There is no cost to participate in this program.

Please bring a new unwrapped toy to RUN4VETS Toys For Toys collection for local McHenry County residents, veterans and their families.

Toys for Tot waiting for Santa

Tot waiting for Santa to arrive at the Toys for Tots event. Photo credit TLS McHenry.

Jeanine Hill-Soldner Veterans Painting in Algonquin Library

“Where Are You Today?” visited artist Jeanine Hill-Soldner’s exhibit “Portraits of American Veterans: A Continuing Dialogue”. Jeanine is a McHenry County artist with a studio in Crystal Lake. Her exhibit at the Algonquin Area Public Library is part of the Vet Art Project.

The mission of The Vet Art Project is to provide “opportunities for veterans and their families to work in collaboration with artists to create art about war and service, and to foster discussion about how war and service affect us all.”

Growing up, Jeanine loved to visit art museums and draw. At age 12, she began painting after her grandfather sent her a set of paints.

Jeanine

Jeanine Hill-Soldner with portrait of veteran Allen Jakes. Photo credit @noelfwilliams

 

Through these portraits of veterans, Jeanine tells their stories about their time both in the military and after discharge. Currently living in Algonquin, she grew up in a military family and in the 1960’s lived in Hawaii. In 1965 her father was deployed from there to Viet Nam and trained some of those first ground troops.

“These paintings are about veterans.” Jeanine says, “I am doing work about veterans because my childhood was defined by my father being in the military. My dad was in Marine Corp. It has been very worthwhile, I feel like it is quite an honor that all these wonderful people come into my studio for their portrait.”

Each painting represents a person who has come into her studio and posed for their portrait. The paintings are all oil on canvas and 30×40 inches. Each veteran is pictured with items that are meaningful to him or her. Jeanine is currently working on her 17th veteran portrait in her Crystal Lake studio.

We spoke with Virginia Freyre, Adult Reference Librarian at the Algonquin Area Public Library which hosted this exhibit and I asked her how patrons benefit from exhibits like this.

Virginia said, “The patrons benefit because we are providing exactly what our mission states which is the informational, educational, cultural, and recreational aspect of art. We collaborate frequently with a lot of artists. Jeanine, who has done all these art works, was the first one to actually exhibit in this library, And she is also the one who got us the hanging system here. So she is quite a star here at our library.”

Librarian Virginia Freyre

Librarian Virginia Freyre with portraits of Allen Jakes and De Yip G. Louie. Photo credit @noelfwilliams

The library also collaborates with other artists, Jacobs High School and the Village of Algonquin to display art. Follow the library on Facebook.

April M. Williams with portraits of veterans De Yip G. Louie and Matt Ping. Photo credit @noelfwilliams

April M. Williams with portraits of veterans De Yip G. Louie and Matt Ping. Photo credit @noelfwilliams

Click on the image below to view this episode of “Where Are You Today?”

 

Edgar Gonzalez Beaza

Veteran Edgar Gonzalez Beaza. Photo credit @noelfwilliams

 

Portrait 2

Veteran Phillip Seyller. Photo credit @noelfwilliams

 

Portrait 1

Veteran Charles McHenry. Photo credit @noelfwilliams

 

 

 

 

World War Two Pearl Harbor Survivor Herbert Weatherwax

We are enjoying our visit to Honolulu on the always beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii. Yesterday we visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial and met a 92 year old Pearl Harbor survivor of the day which has lived in infamy, Dec. 7, 1941. Herb Weatherwax was born in Oahu and was at Pearl Harbor during the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Herb later served in the Battle of the Bulge before fighting in Germany.

Raised in Hawaii, Herb found the Midwest winters too cold and returned to the Hawaiian Islands after World War II. Herb can be found volunteering at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center three days a week. He enjoys meeting with and signing autographs for the thousands of visitors he meets each year.

Click on the image below to view this episode of “Where Are You Today?” Turn up your speakers and listen as Herbert Weatherwax introduces himself to you. Enjoy this history moment of history.

I am very grateful to have met several Pearl Harbor survivors on my travels to Hawaii. Many of these soldiers toured the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center last year for the final Pearl Harbor Survivors reunion. As they reach their 90’s it is harder for them to travel, especially long distances. Here are the stories of other Pearl Harbor survivors.