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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS |
March 13, 2008 Mr. Frank E. Lasch, Sr. Dear Mr. Lasch: I am writing to let you know that it was indeed a pleasure meeting you and hearing so much of what your charity provides to our veterans. Your donation to the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center was received at a vital time. This gift is now in a fund which we will utilize to support gaps that we identify for our veterans and families. As you know the VA does support their veterans but must live within the eligibilities of the system. We accessed a part of this gift for our first allocation for immediate support to aid a veteran and his wife in need for travel that was not fully covered by the system. This veteran is one of our severely injured combat veterans from OEF OIF and I want to share with you how this fund made a difference. This fund augmented what the VA could provide and assisted this veteran and his wife to travel to Akron, Ohio where he met with his prosthetist and was fitted for and received his two new legs. Veterans, as you may be aware, are usually not provided lodging expense for dependents and the mere fact the veteran needed to have his sockets and legs made to fit him and be gait tested warranted a longer stay. Your donation allowed us to have his spouse accompany him for five days affording him the opportunity to be mobile and have that support with him during his much needed medical exam and fittings. These funds empowered the support of this veteran to be treated with dignity and respect, stay as long as he needed, and come home with his new legs fitted perfectly to him for his mobility. Speaking with the veteran, his wife and he are eternally grateful for the assistance Azalea Charities, Inc provided. They are a young couple and depend on his Veterans Affairs Service Connected disability income to support their daily living needs. This gave them an opportunity to be able to lodge in an appropriate location close to the facility that provided him with the proper prosthetics. They are pleased to know there are non-profit organizations available that are able to assist veterans with gaps in the system when these gaps are identified. Our use of the funds from your gift to this VA for this need came at a perfect time for this family. We are committed to continue to work to serve and support our veterans and their families in other similar situations when they arise. This will be a great asset to us to help offset concerns for our newest veterans and their families.Again, I wish to say thank you and if we can be of any assistance please feel free to contact me at (919) 286-0411, ext. 7040. Susan D. Watkins, MSW
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