Singing in the Rain – 7th Annual Vets Summer Fest

The rain didn't stop our supporters who came out full force even with flooding and torrential downpours in the forecast!

VSF owes its existence to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces for providing us the freedom that we hold dear! This event runs to help support “Operation Chillout”(OCO) who for many years has been providing community outreach throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania to homeless veterans.

OCO was founded in 2000 to help a group of homeless veterans living in the open under a railroad trestle in northern NJ. They provide emergency supplies and survival gear to the most vulnerable members of our communities wherever they encounter them regardless of their religious affiliation, ethnic heritage or state of life. Click HERE to learn more about OCO.

A highlight of the Vets Summer Fest event is the opening ceremony. This year’s opening included a prayer by Ray Chimilesky, Executive Director of OCO, the Rory O’Moore School of Pipes and Drums and a Color Guard presented by The Knight of Columbus and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.

The president of Centenary University, David P. Haney was the Keynote Speaker for our 2018 event. He spoke of the statistics of homeless veterans in NJ and the fact that chronic homelessness is on the rise.
Diane Malanga, President of Rolling Thunder, Chapter 3, NJ presented “The Missing Man Table” AKA the Fallen Comrade Table which honors the memory of the fallen military service members which was followed by a “Three Volley Salute” from the Washington Township Police Department.

The National Anthem was sung by Margaret Schaffer, a navitend employee from Long Valley, NJ and a Freshman at County College of Morris, Margaret also sang lyrics from Taps, “Day is Done” followed by a bugle call, “Taps” played by Michael Villanella, a Freshman at West Morris Central High School.

7 Bands performed throughout the day even during some of the biggest downpours NJ saw this summer! That didn’t stop bands like the Rick Barth Band, Atlanta Café, Todd Young and the Gringos, Big Bone Daddy, Triple Addiction, CC Coletti and B-Sides from playing to help raise awareness and support for homeless veterans.

Every year VSF features a diverse line up of musical entertainment, a KIDZONE filled with children activities and games, car show, motorcycle run, arts and craft vendors, direct sales vendors, non-profit organization displays, and a variety of food vendors. VSF 2018 was no different and our supporters still came out despite the bad weather reports and heavy rains.

The Long Valley Knights of Columbus plays a huge role in organizing the event many months prior and the day of. Annually, the Knights donate more than $144 million dollars and over 68 million hours of volunteer service to a wide range of church, community and charitable activities and programs. Much of their support goes to Veteran Programs. To learn more about the KOC, visit http://www.lvkofc.org/.
What can you do help now?

Like our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VetsSummerFest/
Mark your calendar for next year’s event at Vasa Park in Budd Lake, NJ on 8/10/19.
Consider making a donation on our website at https://www.vetssummerfest.org.

We are always looking for volunteers for our event each year to help with the organization behind the scenes and the day of the event. If you are interested in getting involved in helping homeless veterans, feel free to reach out to me – Patrice Schaffer (973)448-0070 ext 311, email pschaffer@vetssummerfest.org or pschaffer@navitend.com.