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Veterans receive quilts from American Legion Auxiliary

Hartford Courant - 5/24/2021

Lydia DeGumbia started creating patriotic quilts for veterans five years ago. Since then she estimates that she’s done more than 300, including about 110 this year to celebrate the American Legion Auxiliary’s centennial.

On Friday, DeGumbia and other members organization presented several red, white and blue quilts to to veterans at the Elms housing facility in Bristol.

“If you’re going to give a quilt to a veteran, it has to be red, white and blue,” DeGumbia, president of the state’s ALA, said Friday.

Jim Briggs, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1969 to 1973, draped his over his shoulders and grinned.

“I think it’s very nice,” he said. “They did a great job, and we appreciate it.”

The organization, founded in 1919, strives to help active duty military and their families, as well as veterans. In Connecticut, there are more than 3,200 American Legion Auxiliary volunteers serving with 80 units around the state. Originally only open to women, the organization opened its doors to men as well a few years ago.

“We’re not ‘the ladies’ anymore,” said Janice Sentivany, a member for more than 10 years and a unit leader.

In addition to celebrating the centennial, members of the organization are also excited to be moving into new office space at the state Veterans Home and Hospital.

Sentivany said the state Department of Veterans Affairs generously offered them eight rooms on the second floor of a former dormitory for minimal rent. The space includes a “history room” filled with memorabilia that had been stored in their former location in a nearby building. There is also a room for quilting and space for clothing and other items the auxiliary collects so that veterans living at the facility can pick out presents for family members during the holidays.

There is also space for other veteran’s organizations to move into, Sentivany said. Veterans at the Rocky Hill facility were also scheduled to receive quilts on Saturday.

Nicole Clapp, National President of the ALA, came to Connecticut on Friday to see the quilt delivery and also help celebrate the new office space.

Clapp, who has seen other state chapters of ALA become involved in quilting, said that sometimes veterans are overcome with emotion when they receive a quilt.

Daniel Virola, a Hartford native who served in the US Army from 1980 to 1984 because he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a Korean War veteran, explained why.

“To me, it’s that people care,” he said. “We’re vets and people care.”

Steven Goode can be reached at sgoode@courant.com.

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