• Vet Expo 2017

The Wildomar Elks Lodge hosted Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's Vet Expo, this was the 4th annual.

Once the key figures arrived, it started off with a prayer, the presentation of colors by Boy Scout Troop 332, The Pledge of Allegiance, then the National Anthem sung by Wildomar city clerk Debbie Lee. 

From there Wildomar city council member Bridgette Moore introduced Lake Elsinore council member Brian Tisdale, and the Assemblywoman.

As with all of Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's public appearances, lighthearted moments were a key factor. Also on stage are Brian Tisdale, Bridgette Moore and Debbie Lee.

The Assemblywoman spoke for a few moments, thanking the Elks Lodge, the council members from Wildomar and Lake Elsinore, Debbie Lee for singing the anthem, Helene Fowler for the prayer, Larry Ryan and the boy scouts, Gary Welsh and the Rough Riders, Mike Sheehan of the VFW for their work in making the event happen.

The point of the expo is to help returning veterans, or veterans that have been out of the service for many decades, with a variety of issues. 

There were several long tables of non profit organizations ready to help, with programs geared to helping vets reintegrate into our oft chaotic world of 21st century living.

The Assemblywoman poses with Boy Scout Troop 332. On the far left is Bridgette Moore.

On a personal note:
I find it a blessing to have been introduced to so many local vets living in and around Wildomar. Such an outstanding collection of community minded people. 

Fellow Rotarians Paul Bakeman, Joseph Morabito and Bridgette Moore pose for a pic.

Only after seeing the photo did I realize that I'd lost a golden opportunity to give out two pairs of rabbit ears. Then I remembered that I know how to use Photoshop and solved that problem. ☺

To read the blogs covering the 2015 and 2016 Vet Expos, click the following links. 

2015

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Contact info for the Assemblywoman

Website Link

41391 Kalmia St #220, Murrieta, CA 92562

(951) 894-1232

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Since coming back from overseas, this is more of a foreign country than the places overseas. I don't understand it. It's like America has lost faith in rational thought. 

—James Mattis

Wildomar Rap can attest to the good general's observations. One need not look any further than how dysfunctional California has become over the years to understand it.

• Vet Expo 2016

This has become a budding tradition; the Elks Lodge hosted Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's 3rd Annual Vet Expo. 

There were 45 vendors with about 150 vets that checked in.

Also in attendance were RivCo Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, Wildomar Mayor Bridgette Moore, and Lake Elsinore Mayor Brian Tisdale.



The event began with an invocation, followed by the presentation of colors and the singing of the National Anthem by Wildomar city clerk, Debbie Lee.

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez addresses  the a crowd as Field Representative Deni Horne looks on.

The Assemblywoman spoke for about 8 minutes, thanking those that were in attendance. Then she went around to the various booths and made herself available to anyone that wanted to chat with her.

I wasn't sure if my recording device caught her remarks from the stage (it did catch the key comments), so I caught up to her before she left and asked her for a soundbite on the day's event. 

Below are transcriptions of the live remarks, followed by the soundbite about an hour later.

• I just want to say, on a final note, that I'm blessed to be in this position, I really am. I love to be in this district. It is service, it's not supposed to be about me, it's about you. I hope that I reflect that in how I operate. If you need anything from me, whether it's help with a government agency, I love helping out when people have problems with the DMV because they make me crazy. Anything you're having trouble with, that you can't quite find the answer to, please call our office. We have a lot of resources and we can find the right person to help you. We're here to serve you; that is my job. 

• Today's event is about serving our veterans. Especially when veterans are leaving active duty service, they don't know which way to turn, they need some help, that's what we're here to provide. We serve veterans who've been out for years, who are having difficulty with the VA, with insurance, the DMV or with anything. That's what our office does, we are here to serve our constituents, and we want you to come to us when you have a problem.

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez

☺

A look from the back of the room towards the stage.

Food and beverages were generously provided by the Elks Lodge. Next time I need to arrive hungry, and not after having a good sized breakfast... D'oh!

Contact info for the Assemblywoman

Website Link

41391 Kalmia St #220, Murrieta, CA 92562

(951) 894-1232

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Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.

—Abraham Lincoln, 16th US president, 1809-1865

Wildomar Rap is happy to know, and show respect to, so many veterans, though he can't truly understand the work they've done. Not even after binge watching the History Channel.

• Vet Expo 2015

The Elks Lodge hosted Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's Vet Expo in Wildomar on Saturday September 12th 2015.

The Elks Lodge was full of people.

I read the flyer wrong. I thought it was more of an open house, and didn't realize there were any opening ceremonies in store. By coming at the 3/4 mark (1:00pm), I figured I'd get some stats for the day, which I did, but I also missed Melendez's opening remarks. 

Sacramento just finished with their most recent legislative session and the Assemblywoman didn't return home until the wee hours of the morning. I did get to speak with Deni Horne of her staff and learned that over 115 vets had signed in. There were 35ish (probably closer to 40) vendors, and the Elks Lodge provided all the food.

I'm sure some of you purists will say this is an overstatement, but the hamburgers that were served were very reminiscent of the ones we bought at In-N-Out... which is to say they were pretty good.

Of the vendors in the house, there were representatives of the CHP, Lion's Club, The Assistance League, Habitat for Humanity, and too many others to count, but I did find one that stood out and thought you might like to know more about them.

They're called Help Hospitalized Veterans.

Help Hospitalized Veterans had the most eye catching display.

I asked Larry "Ranger" (it was either Keane or King) to tell me about Help Hospitalized Veterans. 

••

What is 'Help Hospitalized Veterans'?

We receive arts and crafts kits from different organizations, we package them up and send them out to the veterans in the mail — free of charge. 

We're also in fourteen different states where we have Community Service Buildings. [In those areas] veterans can go from their hospital to right across the street

Everything we have is a physical therapy based product. It's to help with PTSD. Through research [it's been established] that if you stay busy, that dark spot where all of our bad memories are,  doesn't come out. 

[We have] Leather products, wood products, paint... [Things like] stamping leather, biker's wallets, women's purses, leather bracelets, leather tooling.

It gives a lot of people something to get involved in, to develop a hobby.

If you're a vet, how do you be part of HHV?

Go to our website HHV.org, or you can give us a call at 951-926-4500 ext.112. It's free to enroll. Everything we do with veterans is free. 

You mentioned donations. We area a non-profit. We are supported by private donors. You can donate by going to the website as well. You can use the same number for donations to 951-926-4500. 

We have a new program where organizations that support veterans can receive some of our arts and crafts kits. Just call and get the application started. We'll send arts and crafts to your organization for you to give out. 

There's nothing like this [HHV] out there. If there's a veteran out there that needs something to do, that doesn't have the money to go out and buy his craft kits... you need to give us a call. We will hook you up.

Note to self: next year you need to make it to the earlier part of the expo, not be a straggler like this year.

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Caring for veterans shouldn't be a partisan issue. It should an American one.

—  Jennifer Granholm

If Wildomar Rap were a drink, it would either be 24 ounces of Steel Reserve or Korbel Natural with bits of fresh fruit in it, but NEVER mixed.