Page 7 - Desert Oracle September 2020

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2020 Elks Veterans Service National Volunteer of the Year

Drumroll please . . . . . .
We're proud to announce that the 2020 Elks Veterans Service National Volunteer of the Year is Gary
Drumheller of Sun City, Ariz., Lodge No. 2559!
Though we can’t honor him at convention like
planned, we can still brag about his
accomplishments.
Though he was on the golf course when we called
to tell him he was our national winner, Drumheller
is usually working remarkably hard to serve
veterans in Phoenix and throughout Arizona.
At the Arizona State Veterans Home in Phoenix,
where he has been a Representative since 2011,
veterans know they can count on Gary to host
monthly bingo with prizes, along with special
events like Christmas parties, music shows,
baseball games, burger nights, and more. On
average, Gary visits the Phoenix Veterans Home
about four times a month! He brings as many as 25
volunteers along with him to these events, with on
a focus on each person spending quality time with
the veterans at the facility.

As Arizona State Veterans Chair, Gary supports and
assists volunteers throughout the state. That
reputation as a state-wide leader extends beyond
the Elks, too.
“Gary is known as the go-to guy throughout Arizona for any veteran in need,” says Bill Hudson, Past
Exalted Ruler of Sun City Lodge. “Under Gary’s leadership our Lodge is recognized as the top veterans
support organization in the State of Arizona, not only by the Elks but by the VA, American Legion, DAV,
Paralyzed Vets, and VFW.”

At our office, we regularly receive phone calls from veterans seeking assistance, and they’ve often
exhausted all other options. We do our best to research options for these veterans, which sometimes
means connecting them with a Social Worker, an assistance program or local housing options. Sometimes,
it means reaching out to our local members for help.

“When Veterans from Arizona call us with a problem, whether it be homelessness or rental assistance,
trouble getting VA benefits or something else, one call to Gary and he instinctively knows what to do to
help solve their problem,” says Silva Holman, who fields many of these calls to our office.

She continues, “Recently, a Korean War veteran contacted us asking for help with funeral costs for his wife
of 62 years. He was distraught, and didn’t know where to turn. We contacted Gary and within minutes, he
had a solution. This is just one example of Gary’s devotion and commitment to help any veteran in need.”
Springing into action to help a veteran in need is something of a habit for Drumheller. “Several years ago,