...what a memorable day it is for me

Letter to the Editor:
A heartfelt thank you to the town of Ely, MN.
June 22-29, 2019 marked the first ever Midwest PVA Fishing Event. (PVA stands for Paralyzed Veterans of America.)
Approximately 20 paralyzed veterans, 15 of their caregivers and 21 staff volunteers made the trip to Veterans on the Lake Resort in beautiful Ely, MN for a week-long rehabilitation event.
Veterans on the Lake Resort and Britton’s Café were our main facility providers (Britton’s Café catered all of the meals), but the entire town of Ely made this a trip to remember for these veteran heroes and their caregivers.
Bonnie Jacobson at Britton’s Café raised money for our event.
Veterans on the Lake and Bonnie gathered items from local business for swag bags for all in attendance. Veterans on the Lake provided each and every veteran and caregiver with a rod /reel combination.
One of the local fuel companies donated 100 gallons of boat fuel. Someone donated 100 pounds of walleye for our fish fry.
Lady Bug Lodge rented us extra pontoon boats at a discounted rate. (This of course was essential with approximately 15 of our attendees in wheelchairs.)
The local trap club even allowed a team of our trapshooters to take a break from fishing and shoot at their club at no charge!
These are just a few examples. Everywhere we went in town, we were welcomed like royalty. People donated to our event at every turn.
These veterans, our staff, the Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota Chapters of Paralyzed Veterans of America and I would like to give a shout out and an open thank you to Veterans on the Lake Resort, Bonnie Jacobson and her staff at Britton’s Café, and the entire town of Ely, MN.
This is the perfect place to hold this event and we will be back next year August 23-29, 2020.
Kimberly Gould
Executive Director
Paralyzed Veterans of America – Iowa Chapter