COVO honors La Pine’s Gordy Wanek
The La Pine Band of Brothers presented Gordon (Gordy )Wanek an award from the Central Oregon Veteran’s Outreach for his service to La Pine area veterans.
Vern Gurney, Moderator for the La Pine Band of Brothers, a grass-roots veteran’s organization, presented Gordon Wanek (Gordy), a Korean-era veteran, with an appreciation award from the Central Oregon Veteran’s Outreach (COVO) for his support to open a La Pine COVO office.
The COVO office will provide much needed services to veterans. Gordy, owner of Gordy’s Truck Stop and Restaurant and numerous other business properties in Central Oregon, donated newly refurbished office space to COVO.
Chuck Hemingway, Executive Director of COVO stated: “Without Gordy’s generous help, the La Pine COVO office would not exist. Staffed entirely by veteran volunteers, we lacked sufficient financial resources to rent the La Pine office.”
The La Pine Band of Brothers enthusiastically supported COVO in this award. The Band of Brothers meets at Gordy’s Restaurant banquet room every Wednesday at 9am. The veterans appreciate the free use of the room, including a veteran’s discount for their meal. Manager Brent Fisher, wait staff by Kathy Russell plus the kitchen staff work hard to make breakfast for the veterans a pleasant experience.
The Band of Brothers meet to socialize, discuss issues of mutual importance and share ways to help each other and fellow veterans, including raising thousands of dollars for veteran’s causes, such as the Wounded Warrior Project.
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Central Oregon Veteran’s Outreach (COVO) was started in 2005 by members of the Bend and La Pine Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). COVO is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a primary mission to veterans.
COVO provides outreach to homeless camps in Central Oregon, including a medical van, shower truck, distributing food, clothing, camping supplies, fuel, mail service, bus passes, etc. from the Bend and La Pine offices.
COVO also provides DAV Shuttle reservation service for veterans going from Central Oregon to the Portland VA Medical Center. COVO files and fights for veteran’s disability claims and acts as a clearinghouse for other veteran’s services.
Recently, COVO purchased a home in the La Pine area to rent out to a veteran family in need. COVO also works to provide transitional housing to homeless vets (Home of the Brave).
COVO is working with local judges, the prosecuting attorney, defense attorneys, the local court administrator, the VA CBOC clinic mental health staff and other community mental health providers to establish a veteran’s court. This court is for veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI or other mental health issues that lead them to commit crimes.
For more information about COVO, see the COVO website at http://www.covo-us.org. The La Pine Branch Office is at 51538 Hwy 97 (strip mall with Radio Shack), La Pine, Oregon 97739. Office: (541) 508-2412, covolapine.org@gmail.com. Main office: (541) 383-2793. Mail to: PO Box 555, La Pine, OR 97739-0555.
