Ladies Auxiliary Unit 777 Hosts Holiday Boutique

The Ladies Auxiliary Unit 777 held their Annual Holiday Boutique just before the holiday shopping season kicked off late last month. Event coordinators explained that the Holiday Boutique is a tradition and a way for the Auxiliary to reach out to the community while at the same time raising funds for their organization to continue supporting veterans throughout the Inland Empire. Auxiliary member Diane Kassotis, whose late husband, James, was a Navy veteran, shared that she was "more than happy to volunteer," and expressed that she felt pride in how she was honoring her husband's memory and service to his country through her participation in the Auxiliary. President Kathleen Filkins shared the plethora of work the group does for veterans in their community. “We are involved in the Adopt a Vet program at J.L. Pettis Veterans Hospital, and we also visit our vets at local convalescent homes and adopt them for a day for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. We’re also involved in the Bags for Vet program, when we deliver bags with health and hygiene necessities to our veterans. Today’s event is all about raising funds to continue to do such services that not only our veterans need, but also deserve.” Diane Mielak, former President, whose father is a WWII veteran, started the Holiday Boutique during her presidential term. She stated the Holiday Boutique has become a successful tradition and has been in effect for over nine years. “We use the funding for programs, such as scholarships for Pacific High and Cajon High students. We send four young, well-deserving girls to the Girl State program located at the Claremont Colleges, which is a program geared towards teaching young girls about the legal and political worlds and military intelligence. We are certainly doing our best to continue to contribute such inspirational and wonderful opportunities for our local students.” Chin Trenchard is an Army veteran who met Ron, her Navy veteran husband of over 20 years, while in the service. Trenchard modeled Army attire and worked in military intelligence security before retiring, she explained, crediting the Army for her sense of discipline and her success in the education she pursued after her retirement. Vendors and other non-Auxiliary volunteers included Tammy Odell, an event planner who has been participating in the annual Holiday Boutique for seven years. She explained that in the past she has collaborated on various projects with the Ladies Auxiliary and "loves supporting them." Other vendors that day included Boy Scouts of America Troop 45, who served corn on the cob with all the fixings. Auxiliary member Susan Tony served the "belly buster,' a layered dish of chili, cheese and tortilla chips. Auxiliary leaders and members explained they look forward to continuing serving their community and area veterans as needed, and look forward to future Holiday Boutique events to assist them in doing just that.