By Barb Ruiter, Data Entry, WestCare Iowa/FAVA
WestCare Iowa/Family Alliance for Veterans of America (FAVA) celebrated 10 years of serving homeless Veterans and Veterans who are about to be evicted. While participating in Forest City Iowa’s annual celebration, our staff constructed a parade float that featured a birthday cake and signs. The celebration was held July 23rd through July 25th.
Each year, Forest City has a town celebration called Puckerbrush that was named after a tumbleweed that once rolled through the countryside where Forest City is now located. It was called “Frontier Days” when it was first established, but as the community was no longer using that theme, they decided that it was time to change its name. So, they combed the history books looking for something else. When they came upon the Puckerbrush plant, they decided it was different and fun and it has been Puckerbrush Days ever since then.
Working on the float on the day of the parade were staff, Amanda Eldridge and her significant other as well as Robin Jaquis, Jennifer Cleveland and Molly Henderson, and her two sons. With the rain on Saturday morning, the signs on the side of the float were ripped. But, with a little tape, they were as good as new! Well, maybe a lot of tape. Some red, white and blue balloons finished off the float with added flair. Our staff creatively made the cake in the office the week before using hula hoops. They placed a big balloon at the top of the cake. The first layer had WestCare logos, the second layer had FAVA logos and the third layer had the five branches of the military represented with their emblems.
When the float went past the reviewing stand, the announcer from the local radio station spoke for about three minutes regarding our 10th anniversary, the services that we provide, and the areas that we serve. He did a great recap on all that we do and made us feel very proud. Of the entries in the parade, we were the only ones with a float. Thanks, FAVA staff, for a successful event and a job well done!
