Dinner benefit to honor area Vietnam veterans

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 693 will host a buffet dinner to benefit local veterans from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 at Villa Verone, 416 Hamilton St., Geneva.

The buffet dinner begins with a cocktail hour from 5 to 6 p.m. Dinner tickets are $25 per person and available by calling Stanley Herzog at (630) 232-1423. All proceeds from the dinner will go to improving the quality of life for veterans.

The fundraising dinner will feature a raffle with prizes donated by local Geneva merchants. The funds from last year's dinner were used to take the veterans from Hines VA Hospital to various games, including the Kane County Cougars, DePaul basketball, White Sox and Chicago Wolves. A menu was provided for the veterans before or after the game, depending on the schedule. Additionally the proceeds were used for personal care items and Christmas cards for hospitalized veterans and donations to Lazarus House, National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, Hines Paralyzed Athletics, and National League of POW/MIA Families, Hines Canteen, books and telephone cards.

Vietnam Veterans of America, founded in 1978, is a nonprofit organization. Its goals are to promote and support a range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans, and to change the public perception of Vietnam veterans. It relies entirely on private contributions for its revenue.