We owe a huge thank you to Andre Renoth, Manager of the Fountain Hills Safeway store, for so graciously hosting our Purple Heart event. In addition, we thank Nonny, bakery manager, for her special Purple Heart iced cookies as handouts and the floral manager for bouquets of purple balloons.

During the event, the community learned more about the Purple Heart and Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), received an MOPH official viola flower and cookie and visited with a Purple Heart veteran.

Thank you to all who so generously gave for our wounded and their families and those of the fallen.

We also had the honor to meet other Purple Heart recipients or family members, allowing us to thank them for their service and sacrifice and to hear the stories of heroes and recent passing of beloved veterans. Many community members and members of all the Armed Forces who have served or are serving came by. We also met Chris Washington, a Fountain Hills resident and former Cardinals linebacker and Super Bowl-winning team player with the San Francisco 49ers. Everyone was so gracious and generous to our veterans!

Our first very generous donation was made by Marty, who was shopping in the store. We were also joined by three members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Fountain Hills Chapter, and Maryann Michaels, from the Fountain Hills Elks. In addition, David Nelson, senior vice commandant, and Tom Pagliuco, paymaster, both of the Marine Corps League Detachment #1439, joined us and helped man our booths. We also had Marine Corps League members Suzanne Nann, Jen Colitre, Lee Klein and Gene Wuestenfeld come by to support us. Thank you all!