People often get together and say things like, "There ought to be ..." but most of the time nothing much comes of it.
But not the folks in the organization Make January 28th Welcome Home the Heroes from Iraq Day. The group of friends and families from the St. Louis region decided there ought to be a parade to welcome home veterans from Iraq and now they are coordinating what will be the first such parade in the nation, they say.
People have stepped up to help in a big way, offering to volunteer, sending in money and providing floats and other units for the parade.
But not the folks in the organization Make January 28th Welcome Home the Heroes from Iraq Day. The group of friends and families from the St. Louis region decided there ought to be a parade to welcome home veterans from Iraq and now they are coordinating what will be the first such parade in the nation, they say.
People have stepped up to help in a big way, offering to volunteer, sending in money and providing floats and other units for the parade.
It will begin at noon Saturday at Kiener Plaza in St. Louis and go west down Market Street to Union Station. LaDonna Appelbaum, one of the organizers from St. Louis, said they have from between 100 and 125 units from both Illinois and Missouri scheduled to participate. They have so many they have cut off entries because they want to hold the parade under three hours.
She called it a true grassroots effort.
"It started a month ago with some people saying this should happen. We had no idea it would grow like this," she said. "We knew once we had the permit from the city and they agreed to provide barricades and police that we would do all right. It's amazing the way people have come together to make this happen."
Another group, The Mission Continues, also is helping with the parade and helping sponsor a Veterans Resource Village in Union Station from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
"There will be about 60 different booths offering help," Appelbaum said. "It's all about transitioning from the military to civilian life. There also will be music and entertainment."
There still are spots on floats and fire trucks for Iraq War veterans interested in participating in its parade Saturday.
Appelbaum said they have enough volunteers and parade units but can also use financial help. You can find information on participating or make donations at the website: january28group.org.
She said they hope to have thousands of people out to welcome home and cheer on the veterans.
Have a column idea? Call Wally at 239-2506 or 800-642-3878; or email: wspiers@bnd.comShe called it a true grassroots effort.
"It started a month ago with some people saying this should happen. We had no idea it would grow like this," she said. "We knew once we had the permit from the city and they agreed to provide barricades and police that we would do all right. It's amazing the way people have come together to make this happen."
Another group, The Mission Continues, also is helping with the parade and helping sponsor a Veterans Resource Village in Union Station from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
"There will be about 60 different booths offering help," Appelbaum said. "It's all about transitioning from the military to civilian life. There also will be music and entertainment."
There still are spots on floats and fire trucks for Iraq War veterans interested in participating in its parade Saturday.
Appelbaum said they have enough volunteers and parade units but can also use financial help. You can find information on participating or make donations at the website: january28group.org.
She said they hope to have thousands of people out to welcome home and cheer on the veterans.
Source http://www.bnd.com/
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