Dunkirk Veteran & Service Dog Honored by VFW for #StillServing

Dunkirk veteran Katie Dusek and her therapy dog Ruby who are being honored for dedication to country and community in the VFW #StillServing campaign. The national Veterans of Foreign Wars #StillServing (vfw.org/stillserving) campaign recognizes veterans who continue to serve in their community after the military.

Dusek and Ruby, a Bernese Mountain Dog, are #StillServing on a therapy dog team with Pets on Wheels of Maryland. Together the duo visits libraries, universities and senior centers, including Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. Dusek shares that Ruby has a wonderful way with seniors and is a favorite at many of the local assisted living centers. Ruby also has helped her find new ways to support the local veteran community.

Dusek says she is #StillServing because she finds purpose working as part of a therapy dog team to help others.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) launched #StillServing, a campaign to highlight how America’s combat veterans continue to serve in their local communities after transitioning from the military, in March 2020. What started as a campaign became a movement as veterans across the country stepped up to share stories of how they are still serving. More than 1,000 veteran stories have been shared through news coverage, website features and magazine and newsletter articles.

According to the 2021 Veterans Civic Health Index, veterans average nearly 30 percent more volunteer hours per year and outpace civilians 15 percent in charitable donations. Additionally, nearly 40 percent more veterans belong to a group working on community issues and veterans are more like to be registered to vote (7 percent) and have recently voted (6 percent).

Since its launch, nearly 5 million people have engaged with the campaign and close to 2,000 veterans have shared their personal stories of continued service, stories that have been covered by over 700 news outlets around the world.

Building on a legacy of service that spans more than a century, #StillServing represents the heart of the VFW and its members and conveys what today’s VFW embodies. The VFW encourages all veterans to share stories on social media using #StillServing to show how they continue to answer the call to serve in ways big and small. In addition, family or friends are asked to use #StillServing in social media posts to honor a veteran in their lives who believes the spirit of service transcends military life.

The VFW urges Americans to visit vfw.org/stillserving to learn more about the campaign, make a shareable image honoring veterans in their lives, watch videos of VFW members making a difference and see a collection of user-generated content.