On the beautiful fall morning of Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the Cove Community Center, a round table decorated with danishes and donuts was surrounded by laughter and stories. This wasn’t just another ordinary meeting — it was the monthly program, “Lakewood Police Coffee With A Vet.”
The event has been held on the first Tuesday of every month since August at the Cove Community Center at 9 a.m. The program is designed as an outreach program for retired veterans to connect with police officers and firefighters who also may have served.
While the event has no official leader, the conversations are typically led by Lakewood police Officer Pat Foye. When asked about the history and reasoning behind the event, Foye said, “We had our first event only a few months ago. From my experience — because we started this in another city — it can grow, and before you know it, you’ll have 14 to 18 people who come every month.”
But it’s not only for these reasons that the event is held; it’s also so the veterans have something to look forward to. “They put it on their calendar, and it’s really a chance for them to come make friends [and] socialize,” Foye said.
At times, life can be hard, especially for aging veterans. Events like this, with police officers and firefighters who have similar experiences and interests, can benefit them in many ways by giving them someone to talk to and connect with who shares their experiences.
Laura Jaissle, who helped set up the event, said, “This is a perfect way to connect [the officers and veterans], and to connect the veterans … [to services they] maybe aren’t aware of … it [also] helps influence younger veterans in our community.”
It’s not just the officials at Cove Community Center and the police officers who praise the outreach program — veterans themselves do, too. Such as one 78-year-old veteran, Ronald Blondeaux.
Blondeaux has had a life full of service, love, and change. He served in the army during the Vietnam War. He graduated from St. Ed’s, and once his twin brother was drafted into the military, he voluntarily joined, strictly believing in the “buddy system.”
The buddy system seemed to work out because after the Blondeaux twins finished their service, Ronald met his future wife on a blind date set up by his twin brother, Don. Since then, he’s had three children and has lived in the same Lakewood home for 55 years.
“This event is great. You get to talk to people, have good conversations, and learn things. Like today, I just found out, one of the police officers told me where my niece is, that I haven’t seen in 40 years,” said Blondeaux. The outreach program not only connects veterans with others like them but also gives them a chance to share their past experiences with people who understand.
The program isn’t just designed for police officers to reach out to veterans — it also includes Lakewood firefighters, such as David Harp, a captain in the Lakewood Fire Department.
Harp has been participating in the program for a few months and had this to say about the incredible things these vets talk about during the event, “They just talk about what they did when they were in the military or in the wars, a lot of them were. It just makes me feel really proud of these guys.”
Over all, the event has developed so much over the past few months that it is more than an outreach program. It’s a chance for the people who have been through similar experiences as these police officers and firefighters to connect and talk about life in an environment that welcomes them. As the event continues to blossom, it will continue to serve as a staple of the community and a way of connections and conversations for those who served.
