BVA’s Gary Schoerlerman, Louisiana/Mississippi Regional Group, asserts that celebrating the holiday season in southern Louisiana requires partaking in a good, spicy Gumbo. Nothing else will do, he said. On December 13, for the third year in a row, the regional group did just that, courtesy of Noah’s Café in the City of Lafayette, Louisiana. The holiday season only got better from there with a couple of additional Braille flag presentations and a special ceremony honoring

BVA’s District 1 will host a “District One Weekend” in Hampton Roads, Virginia, from 12:00pm (noon) on Friday, April 17, until 12:00pm on Sunday, April 19, Director of District 1 John O’Connell has announced. Family members and caregivers are encouraged to attend with their veterans. Although this announcement will be the only one visible to at-large members who reside within District 1, all at-large members who do not belong to a regional group are encouraged

Happy New Year Greetings from Lea Rowe, Interim Executive Director We appreciate your patience during December as we navigated several logistical hurdles. A combination of the government shutdown, holiday schedules, and external web server outages prevented us from sending our regular updates. Despite these challenges, our team adapted quickly, using alternative formats such as the December 19 BVA Happenings to keep information flowing. While the shutdown temporarily restricted some Veteran Service Officers’ access to VA

It came all too quickly for some, but the transition into the New Year by BVA members, their families, and caregivers is now complete! As such, the Association’s National Board of Directors and National Headquarters are honored to send best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year as the nation simultaneously kicks off its 250th birthday celebrations. We express sincere gratitude to all in the BVA community for your service to both the organization