The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Valor Home supporters turn out for concert
Supporters of Valor Home transitional housing for women veterans are getting closer to seeing their vision become reality.
At least 100 people came out July 15 for the Valor Home BBQ & Concert, an afternoon party hosted by Pogie’s Clubhouse on Jefferson, 150 Jefferson St., Amherst.
The weather was hot and the grill and the music were hotter as diners enjoyed barbecued chicken and sides, with tunes by guitar and fiddle duo Tim Blake and Michele.
The Valor Home supporters also got some good news: The female Valor Home center is getting close to opening on Lorain’s east side, said Rosa Gee, event co-organizer with her husband, Joe Gee, a Marine Corps veteran.
“That is way beyond what we’ve hoped for,” Rosa Gee said.
“Some of these women have been living in their cars,” she said. “I don’t think any of you realize how many women veterans there are in Lorain County and how much they’ve been forgotten. They need to be recognized, they need to be helped.
“But never forget our men, either,” Rosa Gee said.
Valor Home, 221 W. 21st St., Lorain, has seen “an unbelievable amount” of male veterans come in the doors with nothing. But they leave with jobs, training, apartments and cars, she said.
“And we want this for our women too,” she said.
Rosa Gee emphasized the creation of the women’s Valor Home is a team effort with contributions by numerous local residents and groups.
She particularly thanked
the United Auto Workers Local 2000, which last week sent 15 volunteers for a week of work.
Lorain County Veterans Service Commission President Jose Torres, a Marine Corps veteran, also thanked VFW Post 1662 and the American Legion Post 118 of Amherst. Those posts purchased tickets collectively, which was a strong show of support, he said.
“Every ticket that was bought, everybody showed up, so it was a great time,” Torres said.
The American Legion Post 118 has a strong membership of veterans, its women’s auxiliary and sons of the legion, and they come out strong to help Valor Home, said trustee Bill Drexler, an Army veteran.
“There’s a lot of women that we have around, yes we do, and I’m all for backing them up 100 percent,” Drexler said.
For Pogie’s, it was the second time hosting a fundraiser for Valor Home, said chef de cuisine James Pogorelc. “It’s a good cause and I think that people recognize that it’s a good cause because it always sells really well,” he said. James Pogorelc is the son of Pogie’s founder Bob “Pogie” Pogorelc , who said he was passed over for Army service in Vietnam due to a childhood injury.
“I didn’t fight it, but that’s my way of giving back,” said the elder Pogorelc, whose father, the late Bob Pogorelc Sr., served in the military.
Bob Pogorelc said he first learned of the Valor Home efforts from former classmate John Sekletar, veteran and father of artist Mike Sekletar, who designed “In Valor There Is Hope.” The mural is on the west side of the men’s facility in Lorain, and Sekletar has gained national attention for his military inspired murals in downtown Amherst.