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Norwell church concert benefits two veterans groups

The Patriot Ledger - 1/11/2019

Jan. 11--NORWELL -- For the past 11 years a Navy veteran, now 55, has been homeless and living in the woods in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston. In the next few weeks, he is expected to be able to move into an apartment in the city, thanks to a loose coalition of state, federal and private agencies.

Some $1,000 of the $2,000 raised at a Celebration of Veterans concert on Veterans Day 2018 at the United Church of Christ in Norwell is helping to make this possible.

"The money raised at the concert is going to be the seed money to start the process of getting this gentleman back out of the woods and into an apartment," Paul Cook, a longtime member of the church, said on Wednesday.

The church has given half of the money collected after the concert to the Disabled and Limbless Veterans Inc., an all-volunteer organization with offices in Norwood and Burlington. The group, started by veterans, is using the money to set up the services needed to help the the homeless veteran as well as another veteran who has been living in his car. Disabled and Limbless Veterans provides meals, clothing and shelter to veterans in need and their families around the country.

"They are hoping to make that happen in the next few weeks," Cook said.

The other organization to benefit from the concert is the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships for school children and the spouses of military service members who were fallen or disabled while serving the country. This group also will receive $1,000.

The Nov. 11 free concert by the choirs of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in Norwell featured patriotic readings and a video of veteran interviews. Donations totaling $2,000 were collected at the end of the concert.

The two organizations to benefit from the donations were chosen by a committee at the church which planned and produced the concert.

Karen Harvey, the minister of music in her 25th year there, recently shared a certificate of appreciation to the choir from the Disabled and Limbless Veterans.

"We were all touched and so very pleased to hear that just over $1,000 of the money received at the concert will help with housing for a veteran," choir member Carolyn Auwers Tatarian said. "We also received a thank you from Folds of Honor."

Veteran Bob Hawk of Scituate, a member of the church, had suggested some of the money also go to the Folds of Honor organization's educational scholarships. Hawks, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1970-1974 in San Antonio, knew of the group through his membership in the Scituate Country Club, which sponsors a tournament every year with proceeds going to the Folds of Honor, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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