Help, because life happens
AND it happens over and over again if you’re lucky enough to reach 100. Jack Weir was, and has, on Nov. 24. Born in Springfield, MO., his life took a military route. He joined the U.S. Army in 1943, serving 15 years before becoming an Air Force pilot in 1958. He served nearly 28 years flying P38s, B-25 and B-29 bombers. Also, C- 47s over “the Burma hump.” Jack retired from the 22nd Air Force at Travis AFB on Nov. 30, 1970 at the rank of Lt. Colonel. Weir and his family settled here. He dug into civic life, became an in-vestment advisor, and joined Vacaville Rotary 48 years ago. Jack is its oldest member. Mayor Ron Rowlett proclaimed Jack’s birthday as a day of recognition for service to his country and to his city. An officer and gentleman, Jack Weir has so far packed a lot of life into 100 years.
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MOST evenings since Thanksgiving, Brian (not his real name) makes his way to the Georgie Duke Sports Center, the city’s fitness gym on the eastern hip of Andrews Park. He paces himself toward the warming light. That’s fitting, seeing as how Duke is now the Warming Center. To those without a home, it’s a bit of heaven. Brian exchanges greetings with the staff, most of whom know his name. Then he picks out one of the well-spaced canvas cots that cover the gym floor. He will check out the casseroles and other dinner fare. He may check out a clothes rack from the Opportunity House Thrift Store, with multiple choices, free for the taking. And maybe take a shower before he beds down for the night. To Brian and some of the 90 homeless here who may call creeks, culverts, underbridges home, it’s a slice of how it used to be. Tuesday last, the night I was there, the Center expected 13 for dinner, with 6 to spend the night. Through wordof-mouth and contacts by CRU-- Community Response Unit of the PD—numbers are growing.
The Warming Center program will last through December, maybe to February. It exists because of CARES (Caregiving, Assistance, Respite, Education and Service) grants intended to aid businesses and nonprofits stressed by the pandemic. But a huge primary reason is Colleen Berumen, for the past three years director of the 52-bed Opportunity House. “I’ve been trying to serve the homeless for more than two years,” she told me. “There needs to be a center that helps homeless people, ongoing. They deserve our compassion, because life happens.”
The PD has proclaimed the Center a Safe Zone--help given, no questions asked. A bundled-up woman quietly made her way in and marked her cot. A few more came into the light. Volunteers helped; it takes 8 to run the program. Two spend the night with sleepovers. One is a former O. House “graduate.” Now he wants to help others. O. House residents do the Center cooking. CARES grants cover the program, but Colleen’s primary job at O. House relies on donations. “We have 52 beds, but I can’t afford to fill them,” a predicament worsened by cancellation of the $130,000 Festival of Trees gala.
Brian came from Wisconsin to visit a friend. Friend died. Brian had nowhere else to go. He’s coping here. How does he like the Center? “Food is good.” Cots, not so much. In minutes, he was fast asleep. At 6 a.m., Brian got a breakfast, and sack lunch. Colleen: “All I want to do is change one person’s life.” Lucky for those yet to come into the light, she won’t stop there.
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ON Oct. 14, 1947, then- Capt. Chuck Yeager became the fastest human on the planet when he flew the bulbous orange bullet, a Bell X-1 rocket, past the speed of sound. Yeager died Dec. 7 at 97, 73 years after the Bell hit Mach 1.06, thus blazing a trail to the moon for Neil Armstrong in 1969. Years later, Gen. Yeager became a regular visitor to Vacaville. He frequently popped in, unannounced, to the Nut Tree for lunch with partner and aviation advocate Ed Power. I joined them a few times. We had the privilege of getting to know Gen. Yeager a little more personally. A few of those stories for next Sunday.