BUZZ ABOUT YOU: Gift cards presented to residents of Veterans Housing Project

The Veterans Housing Project received a very generous gift. 

Commander John D. Lauer and Trustee Bill Baumlin, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 478, presented 10 gift cards of $50 each to Aliece Tanzini, intensive housing family advocate, on July 3.

The gift cards are for each of the residents of the Veterans Housing Project, at 27 Pine St. in Binghamton.  

More:Previously homeless vets to move into city-built house Monday

In addition, VFW Post 478 donated six brand-new air conditioners to help the residents safely tolerate the summer heat. 

The Veterans Housing Project provides safe, permanent and affordable housing for qualified veterans. It opened on Aug. 17, 2017, after 10 months of construction.

According to a previous report by the Press & Sun-Bulletin/pressconnects.com, the $443,000  rehabilitation project can house 10 veterans.  The project began as a response to a federal initiative to end veteran homelessness, led by then-first lady Michelle Obama.

Opportunities for Broome manages the site, which also provides job placement and substance abuse counseling services. 

"Our fellow veterans, especially those who have served in combat zones, leave the military with significant physical and emotional wounds that make transitioning to civilian life difficult," Lauer said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting this worthy cause, and believe this is part of our overall mission to leave no man behind.”

What a way to honor our local veterans. 

Lauren Nicole Marcus Foundation funds camp for Windsor Middle Schoolers: Binghamton University doctoral student Karin Golden, in collaboration with The Lauren Nicole Marcus Foundation, raised enough money to fully fund more than 30 Windsor Middle School students to attend  LAUREN's Camp — a three-day camp on confidence building and anti-bullying — at Independent Lake Camp in Orson, Pennsylvania. The girls left for camp on June 8.  The foundation is in memory of Lauren Nicole Marcus, who was killed in a traffic accident in 2013.  Her friend set up the 501(c)(3) to create LAUREN's Camp in her memory. The girls from Windsor Middle School will enjoy camp activities such as sports and crafts, while also participating in confidence-building workshops.

...  2018 Hatala Orthodontic Scholarship awarded to local students: Dr. Mark Hatala, an orthodontist based in Johnson City, honored the recipients of the Hatala Orthodontic Scholarship Award at a breakfast for honorees and their families on June 6.  Hatala presented $1,000 awards to 11 college-bound seniors who are or have been patients. The recipients of the Hatala Orthodontic Scholarship Awards were: Natalie Sheehan (Binghamton High School), Nicholas Rowe (Chenango Forks High School), Kathleen Schultz (Chenango Valley High School), Megan Carpenter (Johnson City High School), Sara Schaffer (Maine-Endwell High School), Brittany Hathaway (Owego Free Academy), Ian Tschang (Seton Catholic Central High School), Dusty Root (Susquehanna Valley High School), Jake Isaac (Union Endicott High School), Joyce Zhu (Vestal High School) and Jillian Cooper (Windsor High School). ... Maines rewards safe drivers with special trucks: Maines Paper & Food Service Inc. rewarded two CDL-A drivers who have achieved significant recognition for their safe driving records with no accidents over the course of their careers. Steven Lamb and Patrick Zuk were rewarded for their stellar safe-driving records with new personal dedicated trucks. The trucks are two-toned, white and Maines red with chrome components on the exterior and an upgraded cab on the interior. Lamb has dedicated over 31 years of service and driven 2.3 million miles without an accident; Zuk has driven for Maines for over 25 years and has amassed 1.7 million safe driving miles. A June 8 ceremony honoring Lamb and Zuk was attended by their Maines co-workers, Penske and international staff.

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