More than 100 supporters came out to South Brewington Road on Saturday to help several veterans pushing for Clarendon County’s own transitional home for veterans.
Ed and Bertha Levy joined Cene Pack in organizing the event, which was held for seven hours on Saturday and featured food, music, dancing and other family-friendly activities.
“I’m a veteran and Cene’s a veteran,” said Army veteran Ed Levy. “We have a heart for this. What we are trying to do is get a transitional home for veterans started. We know what veterans have gone through, and we want to help them. We simply need funding.”
Pack, a disabled Navy veteran, first broached the subject with Levy seven years ago.
“We were friends before we even started helping veterans,” she said. “Now we’re continuing the process and trying to get this home started. We have the building. We need an architect and people to help us get it situated.”
Levy said although he’s a veteran himself, he’s also doing this for his late brother.
“He’s my motivation,” Levy said. “He was a Vietnam veterans, and when we came home, a lot of things didn’t go right. There wasn’t the support there for us. We didn’t get a lot of the help we needed.”
Levy said that Pack is the “power behind this project.”
“She’s a disabled veteran and she had to fight like hell to get help,” Levy said. “Once she learned how to help herself, she’s turned all that knowledge around to help others. She is our power.”
Pack said that all of Clarendon and surrounding counties were invited to Saturday’s event, and that more fundraisers will be held in the future.
“The rain came over, but God dissipated it for us,” Pack said of the weather. “Our strength comes from him, and He knows we are doing something to help everyone. Rain, shine, sleet or snow, we are going to be here for those veterans.”
Pack’s father, Al El, also a veteran, is also an inspiration for Pack and Levy.
“My faithful sidekick is my dad,” Pack said. “We’re all coming together to put this home together. We are all veterans. Who is going to help someone like you but you?”
