Riverfront Marines | PO Box 6824 | North Augusta, SC 29861
  
 

 

 


VOLUNTEERING
AT THE VA

The Riverfront Marines, Detachment 1132, is an award winning unit with many of our members helping to provide services to our Veterans at the VA Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.

 

During the past two fiscal years, members of our Detachment have donated 4500 hours of Voluntary Service and have driven 20,000 miles going to and from the VA Hospital in Augusta, Georgia. Our monthly donations have also been very substantial.

For these efforts, our Detachment has been awarded the following honors FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS IN A ROW. For fiscal 2006 and 2007...

  • First in the State of South Carolina
  • First in the 7-State Southeast Division
  • Second in the Entire Nation!

We are very proud of our work at the VA and invite you to join us in our efforts to ensure that our Veterans are never forgotten!


Our activities at the VA include:

 

Regular Shift Work - Some of our members work regularly at specific jobs, like greeting patients at the information desk and directing them to various hospital destinations. Many types of jobs are available, with no particular skills required.
 

Bingo Parties - We hold regularly scheduled “Bingo Nights” for shut-in patients. They win monetary prizes and then enjoy hot dogs and dessert afterwards! We typically host 40 to 50 Veterans at each bingo. They really enjoy it, and so do we!
 

Student Volunteer Support - We sponsor student volunteers who spend part of their summer at the VA Hospital. These are fine young people who are eager to help our Veterans. They work at various jobs throughout the hospital.
 

Salute to Hospitalized Veterans - We take part in this annual event by providing a table full of breakfast treats on one morning of this week-long National event. We provide coffee, juices, fruit, donuts and other delicious treats... and it doesn’t last very long!
 

Homeless Stand Down - Another once-a-year National event we take part in. In the fall of each year, homeless Veterans are given warm clothing, good hot meals during this day-long event, and are offered vision testing, physical exams, haircuts, job placement counseling and many other personal services.
 

Spinal Cord Unit Donations - Every month, the patients in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit are treated to a trip to Pizza Hut, McDonalds, or some other outside the hospital location. Not everyone can go, but the more ambulatory patients love it! Our Detachment makes a monthly contribution to help fund this activity... and we occasionally join them for lunch!
 

Recreational Therapy - This photo shows the Recreational Director re-ceiving a monetary donation from our Detachment. This helps provide Veterans with “outside the hospital” activities like fishing trips, ballgames, bowling, putt-putt and movies. These activities are important to their overall health and well being.
 

Refreshment Cart - On the first three Wednesdays of each month, our Refreshment Cart circulates throughout the hospital with a large urn of coffee, dozens of fresh donuts, fresh fruit and fruit juice. The Veterans love the refreshments... and the camaraderie with the Marines!
 

Other Veterans Activities - Often times we are called upon to help at events like the special “Warrior Care Conference”, outdoor cookouts and the like. The photo at the left was taken at the “Fall Festival”. We were asked to help out... and we did.