During the past 18 months the Sgt. John Basilone Lodge #2442 has proudly assisted in several worthy causes. Two were to help our brave troops and one was to help autistic children in Italy.
Participating in the OSIA Gift of Sight program, in coordination with America's Vet Dogs Program, our Lodge assisted in sponsoring two service dogs for our soldiers. The first went to a US Marine who sustained a severe head injury and was blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. His new service dog, a Yellow Labrador name Sunny, is now assisting the Marine in daily life - including maintaining his balance and performing everyday tasks.
The second service dog went to a female naval officer who was stricken with a severe seizure disorder just prior to her unit's deployment overseas. Doctors were unable to stop the 30 to 35 seizures she suffered on a daily basis, and even brain surgery failed to help. Troy, another yellow lab, was trained to alert prior to a seizure onset, enabling his master to take medication which prevents the seizure. In the eleven months since Troy has been with his handler, she has not suffered a single seizure.
The third endeavor which our Lodge participated in involved the earthquake damaged region of Abruzzo in Italy. Working in conjunction with Lodges across the country and Canada, we successfully raised sufficient funds to rebuild a school for autistic children in L'Aquila. This school is being built to replace the one destroyed during last year's powerful earthquake in that town.
Additionally, members of our Lodge have assisted two local families in distress, have donated funds to assist those with Alzheimer's Disease, Cooley's Anemia, bi-polar disease, cancer and autism. We have also contributed towards fighting bigotry and prejudice against all races through the OSIA Commission for Social Justice, and supported the OSIA Garibaldi-Meucci Museum.
