A VFW Publish within the Equality State late final yr offered much-needed support to the navy neighborhood. Publish members have been preventing meals insecurity, which is a widespread problem amongst veterans and navy households.
VFW Publish 11453 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and others locally gathered a complete of 12,061 kilos of meals for the town’s Veterans’ Rock Thrift Retailer, which has a meals pantry. Publish members additionally congregate at Veterans’ Rock for his or her month-to-month conferences.
Members of VFW Publish 11453 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, present upkeep to a “Little Free Pantry” in October 2021 outdoors of the Veterans’ Rock in Cheyenne. The meals pantry was created to deal with meals insecurity amongst navy and veteran households in Wyoming. Photograph courtesy of VFW Publish 11435.
Since October, Publish 11453 has supported the Veterans’ Rock Meals Financial institution by means of meals drive occasions. Publish members volunteered for Veterans’ Rock’s 2021 Thanksgiving drive, and the occasion garnered about 5,500 kilos of donated meals. Quickly after, Publish members volunteered for the Remembering Our Veterans on Pearl Harbor Day Meals Drive in December, which introduced in 5,690 kilos of donations. The remaining 871 kilos of meals got here from different entities within the metropolis.
VFW Publish 11453 Commander Justin Tripp mentioned Veterans’ Rock was created due to the necessity to help veterans in Wyoming.
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“We on the Publish helps them with no matter they want,” mentioned Tripp, who served within the Navy. “We do it as a result of lots of veterans, sadly, want lots of help. Volunteer organizations are wanted to assist veterans and their households with primary wants, corresponding to meals.”
The Publish’s efforts align with VFW and Humana’s mission to cease meals insecurity by means of the Uniting to Fight Starvation program. For its work, the Publish obtained a $500 grant by means of the VFW Basis for its work.
As a part of their mission, Publish 11453 members constructed a “Little Free Pantry” outdoors of the Veterans’ Rock retailer. It permits those that want meals to acquire it after Veterans’ Rock working hours.
“The VFW is a really charitable group,” Tripp mentioned. “We need to proceed serving by serving to our communities and particularly the veterans’ neighborhood.”
About three weeks after a landslide prompted officials to close a major highway near Grand Teton National Park, a detour has opened to public traffic, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
In early June, a crack developed in Wyoming Highway 22 at the Teton Pass and officials closed the road for patch work. It reopened to traffic but just two days later the road collapsed.
A paved, two-lane detour opened Friday with traffic limited to vehicles under 60,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.
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“(Department) professional geologists have evaluated the stability of the detour roadway. Geotechnical analysis confirms that the temporary detour meets or exceeds minimum requirements as outlined in guidance from the Federal Highway Administration,” the transportation department said in a news release.
The Teton Pass corridor “serves as a critical commuter route and facilitates the transport of goods and services that are lifelines to the growing regional economies in Wyoming and Idaho,” according to the US Department of Transportation.
According to a graphic on the Facebook page of the Teton County office of the transportation department, the detour was built just inside the section of Highway 22 that collapsed.
The new road is about 600 feet long and has a sharper curvature than the highway section that collapsed. New drainage was added.
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Stunning drone footage shows extent of Teton Pass landslide
Engineers and others are redesigning the original section of highway and the transportation department’s goal is to have a rebuilt road before winter.
SHERIDAN — A four-year-old Sheridan, Wyoming girl is now able to move and speak after falling out of a two-story window earlier this month, landing her in a nine-day coma.
Serafina Blue Day, also known as Fifi, was life-flighted to a Denver hospital after she fell out of a two-story window and landed head-first on below on the concrete on June 10. She was playing at a friend’s house jumping on a bed near the window when she fell through the screen. This resulted in multiple injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.
Anastasia Harbour/Facebook
Serafina Blue Day suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling through a two-story window in Sheridan, Wyoming.
“I think, one of the most tragic things that you can experience as a parent,” said her mother, Anastasia Harbour.
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Fifi made progress on June 20 when she came out of her coma and was able to squeeze her mom’s hand and move slightly. But last week, she made even more progress as she can talk and move most of her limbs.
“The fact that she can talk and hear and see and move is a miracle in itself,” said Harbour.
Her mother has been by Blue Day’s side the throughout the whole process and said she is recovering acceleratedly.
“According to the doctors, when they’ve seen kids with her injury, some of them don’t wake up, and the ones that do take weeks and some of them don’t speak, some of them can’t move. Whereas she was kind of like a miracle. Cognitively, she understands everything,” said Harbour.
She has now been out of the ICU for a week, but recovery could take anywhere from six months to a year. It is uncertain whether or not some of her injuries will be life-long. Harbour is just grateful her daughter is progressing well.
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“That was really an emotional, amazing experience because I didn’t know if she ever would. I was prepared for that to be goodbye,” said Harbour. “I got to see her open her eyes and in this hospital, I’ve seen so many parents that don’t get that.”
While the road to recovery is long with an injured femur and neck and will have to relearn some motor functions, there have been glimpses of hope that she may one day be able to dance again.
“I feel like it’s totally possible that her whole personality will come back. Before the accident, she was a performer. She loved to dance and to sing and to play and be funny. And I’m not ready to accept that that’s gone yet,” said Harbour.
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Serafina Blue Day waves with her mother, Anastasia Harbour. Blue Day has been out of the ICU for a week.
Harbour says she is grateful for all of the support from her community and accredits her faith as a motivator through a difficult time.
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“I really do feel like that sense of community and encouragement and faith is what is making us all get through this. It’s what’s encouraging her because I genuinely do not feel like she’d be here if it wasn’t for everyone praying,” said Harbour.
The family is accepting donations through First Federal Bank, as they are prepping for spending months in the hospital while Fifi recovers.
You can donate by sending a check to the bank:
First Federal Bank & Trust 671 Illinois St. Sheridan, WY 82801
You can also donate by calling Krystle Baumgartner at 307-675-4059 or by mailing a check or going to either branch in Sheridan, or wiring money directly.
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Please use the name: Shawn Day & Annie Harbour FBO Serafina (Fifi) Blue Day
