On May 22, the City of Pass Christian and its community leaders sponsored Carry the Load, a four-mile veterans’ walk that was part of the national Memorial Day Carry the Load initiative. The walk consisted of 50 veterans, friends, and families. Pass Christian is a town of approximately 6,500 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast within the Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan area. 

Louisiana/Mississippi Regional Group President Raquel Welch, Secretary Shawntina Gibson, and Gary Schoelerman with his wife, Marelle, all walked the distance along a beach road filled with live oak trees that partially shaded the participants on a hot and humid day. The walk ended at the Pass Christian Yacht Club, where a buffet lunch was served to the walkers.

Mayor Jimmy Rafferty opened the program with a welcome in remembrance of Memorial Day and all fallen service members and veterans, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. Mayor Rafferty then called the BVA members to the podium to speak about BVA and what it offers to blind and low vision veterans and their families. A Bronze Braille American Flag with its raised stars and stripes and the Pledge of Allegiance, also in Braille, was displayed for the crowd and then presented to Mayor Rafferty to be placed in City Hall, who in turn had both the flag and the plaque placed on a table to be seen and touched. The flag and plaque were accompanied by a collection of BVA brochures.

“We were treated like royalty, especially after it was revealed that Raquel was born and raised in Pass Christian,” said Gary Schoelerman. “This is an annual event and hopefully next year we can get more visually impaired veterans and their families from the Gulf Coast to join in the activities.”

Gary also reported that Raquel would be representing BVA at an upcoming City Alderman’s Council meeting in which the flag and plaque would be officially dedicated to Pass Christian. Contributors to the donation of the flags were the City of Pass Christian itself, Jazz in the Pass (a free Memorial Day Jazz concert that collects donations), and the regional group.