The University of Toledo honored area veterans on Wednesday, November 11, with its 22nd annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair at Savage Arena, a free Veterans Day gathering open to all current and former military members and their families, according to UToledo News.
The event, organized by the American Red Cross, the University of Toledo and the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission, paired a free breakfast with access to more than 35 military-focused community resources, UToledo News reported. It ran from 8 to 11 a.m. in Savage Arena on the university’s Main Campus.
Local students helped run the morning. Members of the Rossford High School S.O.S. (Serving Our Soldiers) Club greeted participants and assisted veterans through the breakfast line, fourth-grade students from Waterville Primary School provided musical entertainment, and members of the Toledo Opera performed the National Anthem, according to UToledo News. Local DJ Jeff Mentel provided background music.
“This event is all about honoring our local heroes,” Peggy Holewinski of the American Red Cross, Western Lake Erie, told UToledo News. “We are grateful for the involvement of students from the area schools to help us in this effort.” David Oravecz, executive director of the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission, told UToledo News: “Freedom is not free. It requires service and sacrifice. This event is all about celebrating the brave men and women who answered the call.”
Longtime local television personality Dan Cummins served as master of ceremonies, and the guest speaker was Jeremiah Workman, an Ohio native and decorated Marine Corps veteran, UToledo News reported. Historical displays included items from the Marine Corps Reserve Company and uniforms from the Northcoast Veterans Museum, and — marking the country’s 250th anniversary — representatives from the Fort Meigs Historical Fife and Drum Corps presented the colors in replica uniforms.
The breakfast is one of the longest-running Veterans Day traditions in Northwest Ohio, now in its 22nd year. Veterans with questions about services year-round can contact the university’s Military Service Center at 419-530-1392, according to UToledo News.
Photo: MrJacon000, CC BY-SA 4.0