Page 14 2023 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS May 2023 the area. One of those charities provides honor flights for veterans to visit memorials and locations they otherwise would not get to see. Another helps provide dogs to veterans. Some assist in healthcare and everyday life. In 2022, the benefit raised and distributed $5,700. In 2023, $9,746 was donated to Central Illinois Veterans Commission (CIVC) to be used towards the Homes for Veterans Project. The Eagles Lodge is always ready to help their own as well. When a member was diagnosed with brain cancer the club came together with friends, family and their employer to put together an enormous fundraiser. This money aided with bills, travel expenses back and forth to St. Louis, groceries, family care, and the cost of everyday life that is so easily taken for granted when you are healthy. Other Eagles clubs from across the country also began sending in checks and donations. Another member would fall ill and spend a significant amount of time in the hospital unable to work. Once again, the Eagles came together with friends, coworkers, and kindhearted helpers to raise the funds to allow them to focus on getting better. That can be hard to do when bills are piling up and paychecks aren’t. Over the past three years the club has donated over $55,000 to assist with the healthcare of ill members. While the Eagles Aerie focuses heavily on club charities, events and the business of the organization, the Eagles Auxiliary works a bit differently. They still donate to club charities and events as well as the small local requests the men do, but in addition, auxiliary members can choose a charity they would like to work for. In recent years Angie Bramwell has raised money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research. When advertising she uses the hashtag #FlakoStrong. Angie was inspired to take on this project after the passing of Greg “Flako” Feldman. A couple of times each year Angie puts together a mountain oyster dinner. They taste fine with ketchup. She always has drawings and a lottery tree raffle as well. This past year Angie raised $2,800 in honor of Flako for the V Foundation. Last, but certainly not least, is Sheila Jones. In all honesty, she’s the inspiration for this piece. Sheila has been raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for at least 15 years, maybe 20. Unfortunately, the records that could be documented only went back to 2009. Sheila has used several ways to raise money and these days she has Sunday brunches. There are eggs, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes and more. Connie Karas makes the best cinnamon rolls in the world. There’s always a 50/50 or raffle of some kind. On occasion Sheila hires an Continued --
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