Over 380 veterans registered for the event and received goods and services throughout the day. Some of the pictures here share a little of what happened at the Stand Down. Rev. Robert Ford, FVHV Chaplain, received the prestigious Jim Starkey Award, named after the original chairperson of the Stand Down. Robert is seen receiving the award from last year’s recipient, Rodney Woody. Annually, FVHV is blessed to have Erin Hooks, a former Air Force officer, sing the National Anthem. Local officials also attended the event. Hickory Mayor, Hank Guess, brought greetings from the city and applauded the efforts of all the volunteers and agencies who took part in the event. A sad, poignant moment was when Ric Vandett presented a Stand Down t-shirt to Wanda Horvath who has volunteered for all fourteen Stand Downs. On the back of the shirt was the name of Jeff Horvath, Wanda’s husband, who served as Treasurer of the FVHV Board of Directors for a number of years.Tragecially, Jeff lost his battle with a serious disease earlier this year. Another picture shows a few of the many volunteers who give of their time to help veterans, and one of the agencies we can count on each year is Sports Clips. These stylists provided free haircuts and stayed at the event until everyone who wanted a haircut received one.

The Foothills Veterans Stand Down is a one-day event designed to help veterans, but FVHV helps veterans 365 days a year. Come join us during one of our weekly meetings and see who we are and what we do. We meet every Friday morning at 9:00 at the Hickory Soup Kitchen.
Ric Vandett