FREMONT COUNTY — For the ninth year in a row, a group of veterans in Fremont County spent the past three nights sleeping outside to raise money and goods to help homeless veterans and their families.
The veterans from the VFW Post 2788 say they’ll do what they must in order to help other veterans, including sleeping outside.
Lee Daffron is one of a dozen veterans who spent the weekend sleeping outside to raise money and resources for homeless veterans.
“We were treated pretty shabby when we came home, so anything I can do to help vets today, I'll do,” said Daffron, a Vietnam Vet. “What we do and the money we raise lets us help vets all year long,” Daffron said.
As a vet himself, Daffron feels he can do his part to help others. He notes the rest of the community is willing to help too.
“It’s amazing how giving people are,” said Daffron.
Daffron was one of 12 veterans to spend time sleeping outside this weekend, GW Werdell was one of the people who joined him, he’s seen this VFW post help people in the past.
“We had one come by a few years back while we were doing this and he was on the streets for four years, and we finally figured out that he could get his disability, so we got him signed up for his disability, and he bought him a house,” said Werdell.
Jim Sheridan, the Commander of Post 2788 says this camp out was received very well by people in canon city, and they plan to use their money and goods to help as many veterans as possible in the near future.
“We’ll pay their bills, we’ll pay for food, gas, if they have to get into a house we’ve done that several times, a vehicle, repairs to a vehicle, that’s what we do,” Sheridan said.
The VFW leaders say they have no intentions of stopping the sleep-out anytime soon.
