Vet home needs donations

Dear editor:

The Boise Idaho Veterans Home has run out of beds and is turning away eligible veterans who need nursing home care, according to Phil Hawkins, Volunteer Coordinator at the home.

The home has a capacity for 100 beds, but they only own 56 beds. These are specialized beds and cost $1,140 each. Management of the home falls under Idaho State government, and budget cuts eliminated any chance of buying the beds with state funding this year.

From May 5th through 9th, several of us from the local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization attended the Idaho State convention in Boise, and the lack of beds became a hot topic. The DAV is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. Several members decided to contribute their $250 stimulus checks to the Beds-for-Vets fund. Mountain Home DAV Chapter 17 members have already pledged $1,000.

We at DAV will do our part, but 44 beds at $1,140 will cost over $50,000. The forget-me-not donations we gather on Veterans Day are never going to be enough. We need community involvement.

The 2009 legislative session is over, but citizens might ask their state senators and representatives why they let the vets down. If you can help with a contribution, write a check to Idaho Veterans Assistance League (or IVAL) and make sure to write "Beds For Vets" in the memo area. The address for IVAL is:

IVAL: Attention Phil Hawkins

Idaho Veterans Home

320 Collins Rd.

Boise, ID 83707

Freedom isn't free. Thank you for supporting our disabled veterans.

Jim Breslin