Through its Community Impact Grants Program, The Home Depot Foundation has awarded $5,000 to Newtown VFW Post 308. The donation will be used to rebuild the front entrance and upgrade part of the existing handicapped entry to the building on Freedom Defenders Way.

Walter Dolan, the local post’s junior vice commander, is the project chairman.

“We needed new decking and rail material to completely refurbish our aging entranceway,” Mr Dolan said recently via press release. “We were delighted to receive a $5,000 gift card from The Home Depot. Our volunteers are so happy to get the supplies they needed. Now with labor from our VFW and Auxiliary members, we will be able to do the job ourselves.”

Mike Porco, Sr, of Newtown has agreed to donate his time to serve as the project’s general contractor.

Donna Monteleone Randle, a member of the post, said the project is long overdue.

“It’s been put off for a while, this work, but it’s really needed now,” she said. “The post and the entryway in particular is really showing its age. The steps are not in good shape and we want to fix that before winter.

“It’s time for an upgrade,” she continued. “The ramp is fine, but the rails on the handicapped ramp need to be replaced.”

The project, she said, will also include the replacement of stairs including supports, or stringers, leading to the post’s main entrance; additional handrails for the handicapped ramp; and the replacement of the “entire top landing, but not the supports themselves.

“We’re so grateful that Home Depot selected us,” she said. “I don’t know what we would do without their support.”

The Home Depot Foundation’s Community Impact Grants Program supports the work that local nonprofit veteran organizations are doing to improve the lives of veterans and their families.

“From the time The Home Depot’s very first store opened, giving back has been a core value of the Company,” Gaven Gregory, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation, said via press release. “We are proud to work with Newtown VFW Post 308 in our efforts to give back to those men and women who have so bravely served our country.”

An artist’s rendering provided this week by Mr Porco to The Newtown Bee shows an ambitious plan that will not only replace the steps and handicapped ramp that provides entry through the southwest side of the building, but will also provide cover for guests as they enter or leave the building. Mr Porco’s plan incorporates a brand-new cover over the door, and a canopy over the ramp and stairs.

Ms Randle said the grant from Home Depot is a good start, but the post is going to need additional funds in order to properly upgrade its entryway.

“We need much, much more than what we have on hand,” she said.

As the plans continue to evolve, Post members are finding additional projects that should be taken care of. During a meeting at the post on September 17, members realized the door should be replaced.

“You know how sometimes you see something, and use something so often, and don’t give it a second thought?” Ms Randle said the following morning. “The door opens from the right, but the ramp is to the left. People using the ramp with the door the way it is now have to go past the door in order to open it. The door is backwards!”

Funds donated to the post to help cover the cost of the project will only be used for materials. Post members are hoping others will be able to help with donations.

“Nobody is being paid anything,” Ms Randle stressed. “Every additional dime, or dollar, that we get will help us update the rails, and everything else that needs to be done. We are so pleased that Mike Porco will be our general contractor. We couldn’t ask for anyone better, more knowledgeable.

“The Newtown VFW not only supports local veterans but also the community,” said Ms Randle. Members work with schools for Memorial Day and Veterans Day to enrich student understanding of our nation’s history. Each May, prior to Memorial Day, a group of members place new American flags on the grave of every veteran buried in town.

The Post annually sponsors two contests: The Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest, for students in grades 6–8; and Voice of Democracy Essay Audio Contest, for grades 9–12. Combined, thousands of dollars in scholarship money are offered each year.

VFW Post 308 members also visit aging veterans at Masonicare of Newtown and the Veterans Home in Rocky Hill.

In addition to the VFW and Auxiliaries, a number of nonprofit organizations use the building as a gathering place for their meetings.

“Our VFW home also hosts the annual Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and flag retirement ceremonies for the entire community,” Ms Randle pointed out. “The Newtown VFW strives to be a vibrant part of the community supporting our veterans, our schools, and neighbors. We welcome new relationships with other organizations which share our goals.”

An active Facebook page, launched within the past two years, is one way the Post likes to let people know “this is not the VFW of even ten years ago,” said Ms Randle. “There are a lot of people who come for meetings and special events. We’re trying to break the old view of a VFW post.

“We’re looking for more people who want to participate in activities,” she said.

For all of these reasons, members want to take care of their building. The exterior work is the first of a number of things that need to be done, said Ms Randle.

“This is part of a large project” that will include electrical and plumbing updates, an overhaul of the restrooms, and even a new sign, she said.

“Baby steps, though,” she laughed. “We don’t have that kind of money right now.”

For more information about VFW Post 308 and upcoming events, visit vfwpost308.com or find the post on Facebook (VFW Post 308 Newtown CT).