A veterans group has received a building after a retired couple donated it to them, in a measure which will help the non-profit fulfill its functions.
Retired dentist Karl Kerstein and his wife, Lynda, the former office manager at his dental surgery, donated their former dental office to the Combined Veterans Association of Illinois (CVA) as part of a deal finalized Aug. 14, according to the State Journal-Register. The donation occurred after the group had to leave its previous premises due to a conflict with the state
The 2,700-square-foot space will serve as the CVA’s central headquarters, where CVA will come up with fundraising ideas and find ways to give back. CVA connects service members to resources and advocates for the welfare of veterans in the state. Military.com reached out to CVA for comment.
“We definitely don’t want any veterans to be homeless. We certainly can’t have an organization that helps these veterans be homeless,” Kerstein, who previously served on the USS Carpenter before becoming a dentist, told the State Journal-Register. “So, we decided that us being in favor of patriotism and also in favor of helping local worthy organizations, that it was only appropriate that we step up and do the honorable thing.”
He added that he wanted to give “a payback to the community and payback to the veterans and the families.”
Illinois has one of the largest veteran populations in the U.S. by volume, ranking tenth overall with roughly 570,000 to 620,000 veterans, according to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Census Bureau.
CVA’s Previous Housing Issues
It comes after the Illinois Department of Agriculture removed CVA, an advocacy group, from a building in June.
It sent a letter to the group on June 26, saying it had 10 business days to vacate the building. Later, it said it would try and resolve the issue by September 4.
Earlier this year, the CVA also lost a contract for beer sales at a fair it had held for more than 50 years. Both incidents affected the 50-year-old group’s functionality and ability to fundraise.
“It’s overwhelming,” said CVA Commander Gene Beler, speaking to the State Journal-Register about the deal. “It’s kind of hard to put it all into words because you’re filled with joy. There are a lot of good people out here and (the Kersteins) are perfect examples of that.”
He said he would honor them with a plaque or picture in the building.
“I felt it was a good way for me to honor veterans in general,” said Lynda Kerstein, whose father served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War. “I got tear-eyed during the closing. It solidified our decision.”
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