BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – There are Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Posts across the Brazos Valley. They’re non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting veterans.
Retired Marine Corps veteran and commander of the VFW Post 4692, Dennis Velasquez said that maintaining these community hubs, such as Post 4692 in Bryan, cost between $10,000 and $12,000 per month to remain fully operational. These expenses include rent, utilities, employee salaries and financial aid for local veterans.
To help cover costs, a Texas A&M University fraternity has donated $11,000 to VFW Post 4692 in Bryan, providing much-needed relief to the non-profit organization that assists local veterans but has been struggling to cover its operational expenses.
“If we don’t get the proper funding, we won’t be able to operate,” Velasquez said. “And then we can’t do our job, and our job is to help veterans.”
He added that keeping utilities operational allows veterans to receive emotional support through other veterans, and funds also go toward direct financial aid.
He cited a recent instance where the VFW Post paid an electrical bill for a veteran whose power was cut off.
“The $11,000 will keep us operational,” Velasquez said. “At the same time, we have veterans, there might be a time where they don’t have electricity. We just had one real recently. Electricity got cut off. They weren’t going to have electricity for the weekend. We were able to step in and pay for that electrical bill.”
The $11,000 donation came from the Texas A&M fraternity Alpha Tau Omega’s (ATO) fourth annual “Tenders with Tau’s” philanthropy event, a chicken tender eating competition.
Alpha Tau Omega’s chapter president, Logan Johnson, said the fraternity has ties as they have family members who served in the military.
“We have a lot of family members that have served and given a lot for this country,” said Johnson. “And it’s only right that we should go out there and be able to support them and just try to give back for the sacrifice that they gave us.”
Johnson also said there is a negative stigma on fraternities across the nation, and he said he wants that to change.
“You hear a lot of bad things about fraternities, but, you know….kind of just that stigma across, not only with ATO, but with other fraternities on campus here,” Johnson said. “These are, we’re good men, and we try really hard to help other people and it’s just something that kind of goes unnoticed.”
Despite the generous donation, Commander Velasquez emphasized that VFW Post 4692 still requires more donations to sustain its building and financial aid assistance programs.
You can donate by delivering cash or a check in person to VFW Post 4692, located just off Harvey Mitchell Parkway in Bryan.
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