Local VFW chapter hosting festival Saturday

Published 6:00 am Thursday, October 19, 2017

VFW Post 12065 is gearing up for the first ever Family Freedom Festival to take place at New Iberia City Park Saturday.

The event was conceived as a way for the VFW post to show all of its offerings to the interested public. From noon to 5 p.m., some of the events going on will include a community health fair, bicycle safety, VFW scholarship information, a blood drive, a bicycle raffle, a veteran health fair and patriotic arts and crafts.

“This is the first year we’re doing the event, and it’s going to be awesome,” organizer Patricia Wesley said. “We have a lot of activities planned.”

The event is planned to encompass everything the VFW offers to veterans and the community. Along with educational events like suicide awareness, there are also contests and games planned for students.  

“We’re also going to have a representative from the VA hospital in Alexandria,” Wesley added. “She’s going to be available to answer any questions and even offer enrollment to veterans. AAA Home Health will be there doing blood pressure screening and doing diabetes tests. Iberia Parish President Larry Richard is going to sponsor a bike raffle and teach the children bicycle safety.”

Informational signage dealing with suicide awareness is an important part of the event, Wesley said. 

“We want people to really learn the faces on these little cards, so when they talk with their family members they can tell and visualize what’s happening with that person and try to get them some help,” Wesley said. “Because right now we’re losing 22 veterans a day to suicide and one veteran is too much. It’s horrible that they fight a war and lose their life on their own home ground.”

“And they don’t know that they’re eligible for these services,” Post Quartermaster and AdjutantGaston Dupas said.

Other events include an Americanism Coloring Contest, patriotic arts and crafts, blood pressure checks, health brochures, three separate scholarship programs, a VFW Child ID that will be presented by Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office community liaison David “Spike Boudoin” and a presentation on bullying from the DARE Program’s Joanne Jacob.

A popcorn machine and cotton candy machine donated by Roberta Boudreaux will be on tap, as well as door prizes for those entering the event. For the bicycle raffle, those participating will have to visit certain sites of the event to and get a card punched before they are eligible to enter.  

“The whole purpose is to get familiar, so each site they go to, they get a card punch,” Wesley said.