City of Aurora Veterans Advisory Council met April 13.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
Council Members
Jose Cervantes; Randy Fisher (Vice-Chair) ; Ansar Kazmi; Ken Leask; Josh Pfeuffer (Chair); Guillermo Trujillo (COA);
Call to Order
Mr. Pfeuffer called the meeting to order at 5:56 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance - The Council said the Pledge
Moment of Silence
A moment of silence was observed
Roll Call - All Council members were present
Mission Statement - The Mission Statement was read
Acceptance of previous Minutes - March 9, 2022 minutes will be approved in May
Public Comment
No members of the public were present
Treasurer’s Report as of March 31st, 2022
Scholarship Fund - $11,00.00
Council Fund - $20,812.66
Service Dogs Fund - $133,297.65
Memorial Bricks Fund - $1,172.85
Assistance Fund - $20,242,94
Committee Reports
Scholarship Fund
Scholarships will be awarded in the late spring.
AVAC Web / Social Media
Mr. Cervantes and Mr. Trujillo spoke about a veteran that was reported as being missing. Both Mr. Cervantes and Mr. Trujillio had contact with his family over a period of two weeks. The APD made a special effort to find him. At one point he was taken to Mercy Hospital for an evaluation. He fled the hospital which was within his rights as he had committed no crime. To the best of our knowledge, he is back home now. Thanks go to community members, the APD, Mr. Cervantes and Mr. Trujillio. It was difficult for the family to accept the veterans rights to leave home and that he could not be forced to have mental health interventions because he had comitted no crimes.
Service Dogs
Mr. Pfeuffer talked about the veteran who might be interested in a service dog and noted that the veteran was dragging his feet in filling out the paperwork. Mr. Leask brought information on a Chicagoland group, K-9s for Veterans which places dogs with veterans with PTSD. We will get more information and see if the director of the group can speak to the Council.
Memorial Bricks
Mr. Pfeuffer believes that a brick has been ordered and paid for recently. Mr. Fisher reported that he has no documentation from the Community Fund that such a transaction has taken place. And we have not received an invoice from the provider.
Assistance Fund
The Council talked about the need to rewrite the application. How to divide the money from the golf outing was also discussed. It would be shared by the Service Dog fund and the Veteran Assistance fund.
COA Liaison Report
Mr. Trujillo said that the COA has funds ($1,000) that AVAC can use for purchasing AVAC clothing. He will continue to explore the funding and find a vendor. He passed out “Certificates of Appointment” to each Council member and took photos for the City website. He will work with the city council to appoint Patricia DeVore to the Council. She was at the meeting this month.
Upcoming Events
Mr. Peuffer and Mrs. DeVore talked about a workday scheduled on April 30th at a Gold Star mothers home in Aurora. The Scientel golf outing is June 6th. On May 7th American Legion Post 1944 will start with their flag ceremonies at the GAR building
Old Business
Mr. Kazmi presented information on two friends who are dentist and provide free basic dental services to community members on a regular basis. Mrs. DeVore welcomed the information as a resource for AVAC and her program, Veterans Smile.
Adjournment was at 7:50 p.m.
https://www.aurora-il.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04132022-2879
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