Disabled American Vets Thank Point Beach Mayor, Council and Clerk

Selling flowers on the Point Pleasant Beach Boardwalk every year helps keep the local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans alive and deserves much appreciation, an organization official told the Point Beach mayor, council and clerk  on Tuesday night.

"We wanted to thank you for letting us do the fundraisers on the Boardwalk every year," said Frank Lobrauico, an official with the Disabled American Veterans' Chapter 20 in Brick. "They're vital to our existence."

He thanked Municipal Clerk Maryann Ellsworth and the mayor and council and asked Mayor Vincent Barrella to accept a certificate of appreciation.

Lobrauico, who lives on Sleepy Hollow Drive in Brick, also recently gave a similar certificate of appreciation to the Point Borough mayor and council for allowing annual flower sales at Stop and Shop on Bridge Avenue.

According to the Disabled American Veterans' website, "the 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is a non-profit 501(c)(4) charity dedicated to building better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their families."

The DAV was founded in 1920 by disabled veterans returning from World War I to represent their unique interests.

In 1932, Congress chartered the DAV as the official voice of the nation’s wartime disabled veterans.

"With our brave Americans leaving the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the DAV’s services and advocacy are as relevant and critical today as in any time in our nation’s history," the website says.

"Annually, the DAV represents more than 200,000 veterans and their dependents with claims for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense.

The DAV’s Voluntary Services Program operates a comprehensive network of volunteers who provide veterans free rides to and from VA medical facilities and improve care and morale for sick and disabled veterans.

The DAV’s 1.2 million members provide grassroots advocacy and services in communities nationwide. From educating lawmakers and the public about important issues to supporting services and legislation to help disabled veterans — the DAV is there to promote its message of hope to all who have served and sacrificed."