Each of the three veterans supported by nine of the Knights of Columbus Councils in the Bishop McGuinness Assembly 778 footprint brought home a gold medal from the 29th Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games held in Spokane, Wash., from July 13-18. “I had a blast, but getting a medal was like icing on the cake,” said George Ramsey, 55, an Army veteran from Statesville, N.C. He won a gold medal in the Nine-Ball and a bronze in the Basketball competition. Teammates from the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center Lloyd Kelso, 50, from Lucama won the 1,500-Meter Wheelchair race and took bronze in the 200-Meter competition, and Glenn McClary, 49, from Jacksonville took gold in the Hand-Cycling competition as well as a bronze in Nine-Ball. The trip to Spokane was the first for Ramsey and McClary. This was Kelso’s second year of competition. Kendra Monden, Chief of Recreation Therapy at the Durham facility, came to Durham from Washington, D.C., and introduced the program last year. Transportation and lodging costs must either be borne by the participants or covered by sponsors. While many VA centers do not participate, Monden hopes to help more veterans get involved.“We want to grow,” said Monden. According to McClary, Puerto Rico had 17 participants at the Games, and Monden said California and Texas typically bring more than double that. Council 9709 approved a donation of $250 at its May 5 business meeting as one of the 11 area Councils pledging to support the program. Grand Knight Tom DuPree met Monden while running the Assembly’s once-a-quarter bingo games at the VA Center, heard of the program and went to the Bishop McGuinness Assembly to solicit support. An additional $1,575 pledged by the Councils as well as some $450 in personal donations more than covered the athletes’ expenses of $2,246.01. Other participating Councils included Father Price Council 2546, Father Parker Council 9365, St. Raphael Council 9880, Msgr, Lou Morton Council 10892, Our Lady of Lourdes Council 12025, St. Luke Council 12455, Father James D. Campbell Council 13511, Rev. Joseph McNamara Council 14422 and Bishop McGuinness Assembly 778. Next year’s Wheelchair Games will be held in July in Denver, Colo.

(L-R seated) Lloyd Kelso, Glenn McClary and George Ramsey, July 20 at the Brier Creek Hampton Residence Inn upon their return from Spokane, Wash. The truck is Kelso’s.