Paralyzed Veterans going to Summer Olympics in style
By Dan Baer / The Daily Item
LYNN - For years the New England Paralyzed Veterans
Association (NEPVA) has been attending the Paralyzed Veteran's Summer Olympic
games donning only t-shirts, the only PVA chapter in the country without
uniforms.
Now, thanks to donations from Cuffe-McGinn Dignity Funeral Home in Lynn, the
Salem Women of the Moose Lodge and the Revere Men of the Moose Lodge, the 33
war-wounded athletes will be outfitted with new uniforms when they arrive at the
2008 games in Omaha, Neb. this July.
The purple and white jackets, pants and polo shirts were unveiled in a ceremony
at the Maple Street funeral home Wednesday morning, as members of the NEPVA,
their families and local dignitaries looked on.
Lynn resident Dee Ferris, the wife of paralyzed veteran and former Lynn graves
officer Everett Ferris, was behind the campaign to raise money for uniforms,
petitioning the funeral home and Moose lodges to step up and help the paralyzed
veterans arrive at the games with a sense of pride.
"We chose purple because while every color represents a different war, we wanted
to find a way to honor the Purple Heart veterans," she said. "It may not be the
most masculine color, but there are women who are involved in the games too, and
we also wanted to find a way to honor the Purple Heart."
Aside from the new uniforms, Everett Ferris was given citations from the city,
presented by Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr., the House of Representatives, presented
by Rep. Robert Fennel and the Senate, presented by Sen. Thomas McGee, in
recognition for his service to the country and Lynn as grave officer.
"You can't be in this room and not be overwhelmed by
what is going on," said Lynn Veterans Director Michael Sweeney. "When you see
sacrifice, you know it."
NEPVA Sports Director Brad Carlson officially accepted the uniforms from
Cuffe-McGinn representative Raymond Rebidue, and said the new threads would go a
long way of boosting the pride of the group when they reach Omaha.
"We are a self-funded organization, so it is generosity like this that keeps us
going to help all of our vets," he said.
The PVA Summer Olympics feature paralyzed veterans from every war participating
in sporting events representing different regions of the country.
