News

During the March meeting of the Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF), members of the Knights of Columbus Assembly 1547 presented a $5,000 donation to the CCVF, which provides grant assistance to honorably discharged Citrus County veterans and their surviving spouses for urgent, short -term needs. Seated from left: J.J. Kenney, CCVF Director; Craig Dalton, CCVF Director. Standing from left: Barbara Mills, CCVF Director; Terri Harrison, CCVF Director; Phillip Watson, Citrus County Veterans Service Office Liaison; Les McGlothlin, Faithful Captain Assembly 1547; John Uva, Faithful Navigator Assembly 1547; Curt Ebitz, CCVF President; John McGee, CCVF Vice President; Tom Sellars, CCVF Treasurer.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7122 Riders Group presented the Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF) with a $500 donation from the proceeds of its recent fundraising ride with 22 riders on 15 bikes participating. Left: Angel Bennett, Ride Organizer; Richard Hunt, CCVF Director; Curt Ebitz, CCVF President; Raymond Case, Group Leader; Shawn Howard, VFW Post 7122 Commander.

The Citrus County Tax Collector Office and Aaron A. Weaver Chapter 776 Military Order of the Purple Heart fundraising partnership recently raised $6, 248.16 for the benefit of the Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF), Inc., which provides urgent grant financial assistance to local honorably discharged veterans and their surviving spouses. Left: Vicki Phillips, CCVF Director; Mickey Hunt, Chapter 776 Associate; Richard Hunt, Chapter 776 Commander & CCVF Director; Bill Merryman, Chapter 776 Sr. Vice Commander; Sarah C., Tax Collector Office Top Fundraiser; Janice Warren, Citrus County Tax Collector; Philip Watson, Citrus County Veterans Service Office Manager; Melinda Sabloski, Tax Collector Office Top Fundraiser; J.J. Kenney, CCVF Director; Curt Ebitz, CCVF President & Chapter 776 Adjutant; Darien Winburn, Tax Collector Office Top Fundraiser; John McGee, CCVF Director; and Chuck Kanehl, Chapter 776 Americanism Officer. Not shown, Doug Hockenberry, CCVF Director.

The Citrus Hills Veterans Planning Committee's raised a record $21,065 from its annual Veterans Day Scramble Golf Tournament held at Skyview at Terra Vista, its 18 ^th Annual Patriotic Veterans Day Dinner Dance and generous donations with the proceeds donated to the Citrus County Veterans Foundatio n (CCVF) to support Citrus County veterans and their surviving spouses in urgent financial need. Left : Cregg Dalton, Citrus County Property Appraiser and CCVF Director; Buzz Frederickson, Chairman of the Citrus Hills Veterans Planning Committee; Phil Watson, Citrus County Veterans Services Manager and CCVF Liaison; John McGee, CCVF Vice President; Curt Ebitz, CCVF President; Michael Heise, Veterans Day Planning Committee; Jenny Heise, Veterans Day Planning Committee; and Mark Bodenheim, COL USAR (Ret), Membership Chairman of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Citrus County Chapter.

During a recent Board of Directors meeting of the Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF), Inc., Chief Master Sergeant John Stewart, USAF, Retired, was presented with a Distinguished Service Award for his dedicated advocacy of the Foundation and tireless championing of veterans. Left: John McGee, Vice President; Vicki Phillips, Secretary; Barb Mills, Director; Curt Ebitz, President; John Stewart, Awardee; Beth Medina, Director; Mike Sellars, Director; and Tom Sellars, Treasurer.

The Citrus County Veterans Foundation, Inc. was presented the Geoff Greene Community Service Award by the Citrus County Republican Executive Committee, which is the governing body of the Republican Party of Citrus County. The nonpartisan award was created by the Citrus County Republican Executive Committee and named for Geoffrey "Geoff" N.D. Greene, Citrus County's 12th Property Appraiser who unfortunately died in 2014, to remember and honor those individuals or organizations who, like Geoff Greene, go about doing good in the community behind the scenes regardless of their politics.

The Valued Veterans Golf Committee of The Inverness Moose Lodge 2112 presented a very generous donation of $5,000 from the proceeds of its recent golf tournament to the Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF) in support of its mission of providing grant financial assistance to honorably discharged veterans and their surviving spouses, residing in Citrus County. Left: Lodge tournament co-organizers Lon Frye and Kelly Halsey; CCVF President Curt Ebitz; Lodge member John Stewart.

The Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF), which provides grant assistance to honorably discharged veterans and their surviving spouses with urgent finance needs residing in Citrus County, presented a $1,000 donation to the Nature Coast Ministries Dental Clinic to support basic dental care for homeless or low income veterans. To date the CCVF has donated a total of $6,000 to the dental clinic. 1st row seated from left: Phillip Watson, Citrus County Veterans Service Office Manager & Liaison to the CCVF; J.J. Kenney, CCVF Director; Terri Harrison, CCVF Director; Bill Merryman, CCVF Director. 2nd row standing from left: Richard Hunt, CCVF Director; Vicki Phillips, CCVF Secretary; Bonnie McMullin, Nature Coast Ministries Director of Public Relations; Curt Ebitz, CCVF President; Tom Sellars, CCVF Treasure; Mike Sellars, CCVF Director; Cregg Dalton, CCVF Director. For more information and grant application, visit the CCVF website at citrusvf.org

Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF) Vice President, Major John McGee, U.S. Army, Retired, accepted a $4,000 donation from Digna Beckman, President of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML), First Lutheran Church in Inverness. The donated funds were raised in a huge rummage sale following hundreds of volunteer hours by LWML. The CCVF, a not-for-profit organization, was established in 2004 for the purpose of providing urgent financial assistance to local honorably discharged veterans and their surviving spouses with urgent financial needs.

Left: Citrus County Veterans Foundation (CCVF) Director Barbara Mills presented an appreciation plaque on behalf of the CCVF Board of Directors to CCVF 18th Annual Veterans Golf Tournament Hole-in-One Sponsor Nick Nicholas of Nick Nicholas Ford, Inverness.

The Rotary Club of Sugarmill Woods donated $2,000 from its proceeds to the CCVF.

Very clever decorations were used all around the Armory.

“Col. Potter” is determining if Jimmy T. has a heart after all.

Curt “Colonel Potter” Ebitz and Mari-Elain “Hot Lips Houlihan” Ebitz represented the Citrus County Veterans Foundation at the MASH fund raising event.