December 12, 2018 (Henrietta, NY) ─ It was a very special Veterans Day at Woodcrest Commons, a DePaul Senior Living Community in Henrietta, thanks to the generosity of several community members!

Veterans each received a homemade wooden flag from Joshua Dundon’s company JPD Woodworking and a professional photo shoot by Shannon Emens Photography. Pictured clockwise above are, Bill Gibbons (USMC), Phil Fuoco (Army), David Hackett (Army) and Carl Wendlandt (Army). Also honored were Charles Testa (Army) and Arthur Gay (Army).

“Having been here for almost ten years, I’ve really gotten to know these gentlemen like my surrogate grandfathers,” said Activities Director Lindsay Lown. “My grandfather was a WWII veteran and I lost him 20 years ago. I wanted to make Veterans Day extra special for them in honor of my own grandfather.”

Lown reached out to Dundon, a former Marine who works in law enforcement and serves as assistant fire chief for the Ontario Fire Department, about purchasing handmade wooden flags for the six veterans at Woodcrest Commons. Dundon did one better…he donated the wooden flags.

“He worked countless hours to get them done and delivered them on time,” said Lown. “Our veterans were so touched that a fellow veteran would be so kind and generous.”

The Veterans Day Celebration at Woodcrest Commons also hit home for Shannon Emens, who lost her father who was also a veteran several years ago.

“Every year she tries to give back to veterans in some way,” said Lown. “She was honored to do this in memory of her father.”

For more information about Woodcrest Commons, please contact Administrator Melissa Brien at (585) 334-1800, at mbrien@depaul.org or visit us on Facebook.