Support Fisher House at The Hops Company holiday event in Derby

The Hops Company in Derby to host Fisher House fundraiser

DERBY - The Hops Company, Connecticut’s only authentic beer garden, will host its third annual “Road Home for the Holidays” charitable event from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 30. 

Partnering with Two Roads Brewery for the third year, the event will be a memorable night filled with fun, food, great beer, games, raffles, and contests including ugly holiday sweater contest to benefit military service men and women. 

The Hops Company and Two Roads will donate $1 from the sale of each Two Roads pint of beer to the Fisher House Foundation.  
The Fisher House Foundation reunites families of injured veterans while they’re in the hospital. It uses donations to build large, multi-family homes where loved ones can stay without charge while their heroes heal. 
For details, check out: www.fisherhouse.org.

Bobby Wheeler will be playing live music from 9 p.m. until midnight.

THC is located at 77 Sodom Lane. Additional parking is available at 43 Marshall Lane.

Legion Post in Shelton to hold dinner, magic show to benefit Fisher House

SHELTON - Sutter-Terlizzi American Legion Post 16 is hosting a Family Pasta Dinner and Magic Show to benefit Fisher House. 
The fundraiser will be held Jan. 26 at the Post home, 295 Old Bridgeport Ave.

Spaghetti, meatballs, French bread, and salad will be served at 6 p.m., followed by the magic of Brian Lizotte at 7 p.m. 
The cost is $15 per person, kids 12 and under $6 and pre-school age children and under are free. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Post 16 most afternoons. Buying in advance is encouraged. 
Call the Post at 203-924-9887 to make sure it is open prior to coming to purchase tickets.

The members of American Legion Post 16 are U.S. veterans still serving America. Please join us in supporting the Fisher House. 

On April 11 the Fisher House Foundation broke ground on a new Fisher House at the VA Medical Center in West Haven. The Connecticut Fisher House will provide accommodations for the families of Connecticut veterans when facing a medical crisis. The house is scheduled to open early 2018.

The Fisher House Foundation builds and maintains long-term residential facilities near military hospitals nationwide for the families of seriously injured soldiers who need a place to stay during the long rehabilitation process. 
This is a vital need, which is not covered by any other resource. 
The facilities are supported by contributions and the VA Hospital and openings are granted in reverse order of rank, so that the lower enlisted soldier has first chance at the housing. 
The stay is free for the soldiers and their families for the entire time they are there.
Currently there are more than 45 Fisher Houses worldwide, mostly in the United States. 
Since 1990 they have provided services to more than 8,500 military families who have stayed more than 1.5 million days supporting their soldier during rehabilitation.

This is a press release from Post 16.

Congratulations go out to Derby veteran

Derby's own Erwin "Gus" Williams took third place Saturday in the "Dancing with our Heroes" event to raise funds to build Connecticut's first Fisher House on the VA Healthcare System grounds in West Haven.

The gala event was held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

Williams danced the Foxtrot with Monika Barska, an instructor at Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Southport. Barska is a 1996 graduate of Derby High School.

Williams said their scores were 10, 9, 9, 9. What an achievement! Kudos to both of them.
He also said the event raised $125,000 toward construction of the Fisher House.

Williams, a Korean War-era U.S. Army veteran, served stateside from 1953-56. He  has served as commander of the John H. Collins Post 24, American Legion in Derby for more than two decades.

I'm sharing this video from Shelton resident Marc Weissman, creator of "Looking Up: A View from the Valley."

Enjoy!