EAST PROVIDENCE — More than 20 Knights of Columbus councils from across the state helped to make this past Christmas the best ever for some local veterans for the service they’ve given to their country.
Remembering Our Veterans at Christmas (ROVAC) began 18 years ago when Tony DeJesus and Steve Goldman, general manager and owner of Big Blue Bug Solutions in Providence took action to meet what they identified as a glaring need to provide additional assistance for those former service members at the R.I. Veterans Home in Bristol.
At Christmas each year, the organization, which was joined four years ago by East Providence Knights of Columbus Council #1528 — with 20 more councils signing on in the past three years — collects clothing and supplies for local veterans.
“This year’s effort was the largest collection ever as we filled 81 large boxes of brand new clothing, toiletries and necessities and 10 large bags of brand new winter coats,” said Steven Perry, State Community Service director for the Knights of Columbus and state operation chairman for ROVAC.
Perry said the Christmas 2017 donation was up almost 50 percent from 2016, an indicator, Perry said, that the charity is gaining momentum with Brother Knights throughout Rhode Island.
The Knights also distributed more than 600 Christmas cards prepared for the occasion — some by students at St. Luke School in Barrington, ensuring that every veteran at the home received three cards along with their gift bags.
“One of my favorite sights on Saturday, Dec. 16, was that every time another Council pulled up to the front of our council headquarters, any and all Knights from visiting councils jumped into action with our volunteers to unload cars, sort donations, etc.,” Perry added. “Over the last four years, the East Providence Council has raised, organized and distributed over $100,000 worth of donations.
The Knights’ next project, as a continuation of their efforts on ROVAC, is to organize a quarterly visitation schedule at the Veteran’s Home to share time with the men and women residing there.
The ROVAC collection for 2018 has been scheduled to take place on Saturday, Dec. 15, with a continued goal of a 25 percent improvement in donations, as well as participating councils.
