Heather Barr presents a $1,000 check to Commander Steve Latchford at the Ruskin VFW 70th Birthday Celebration held on March 6. Lisa Stark photos.
In a festive celebration last Sunday that included a prime rib dinner, birthday cake and music provided by the ever-popular Bert & Sassy, the Ruskin VFW commemorated the 70th birthday of Post 6287 with more than 100 guests in attendance.
Honored guest Heather Barr was on hand to present a generous check of $1,000 to Commander Steve Latchford, which will be used to help fund the VFW’s many community programs, including the Patriot’s Pen, Voice of Democracy, Scout of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Junior ROTC, and the VFW’s state-level scholarship fund.
“Thank you for allowing me to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Post 6287 with you, and for accepting this donation for your Post,” said Barr in her introductory speech, observing the Ruskin VFW’s charter, issued in 1946 was less than a year after the end of World War II.
An enormous birthday cake was cut with a sword by combat veteran Tony Zipperer, who served in Operation Desert Storm, while Sissy Gorby, a hardworking and dedicated VFW Auxiliary member, received audience applause for winning the 50/50 drawing.
“I chose to give this donation to the VFW largely because of my wonderful Grandpa, Ron Wolfe, and my Paw Paw, Marty Spiers, both U.S. military veterans,” said Barr. Last November, Barr was nominated to run for the SouthShore Chamber of Commerce’s Honorary Mayor’s Race while working fulltime as bank manager of C1 Bank in Apollo Beach. The SouthShore Chamber decided to try something different in the Mayor’s race by selling tickets and raising money for the charity of each candidate’s choice.
“My first thought was, ‘Oh, no — how am I going to do this with my already packed schedule?’” said Barr. “So I decided to run with a big smile and dedicate my race to my Dad and my Grandpa, and to all the other wonderful veterans out there.”
Through a series of creative fundraisers, Barr was able to raise $2,000 in the race, half of which she chose to donate to the Ruskin VFW.”
“I chose the VFW because my Grandpa is a lifelong member, and I spent a lot of happy times at the Ruskin Post with my family,” said Barr. “I even had my wedding reception here in 2011.”
Barr recently left her position with the bank and started her own venture, “Barrs Social Sidekick,” dedicated to advising small businesses on the use of social media for marketing and promotion. “I would characterize it as ‘relationship marketing,’” said Barr. “I help small businesses that don’t have time to develop and monitor their own social marketing. I give their pages a face-lift and show them how to build awareness of their service or product.” Her efforts are concentrated on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Three generations of patriots, from left: Marty Spiers, Heather Barr and Ron Wolfe.
Barr credits much of her business sense to the influence of her grandfather, Ron Wolfe, a Ruskin business and community leader for more than 30 years. Wolfe’s credentials include serving as president and CEO of The Arjay Group, a business advisory firm that works with start-up businesses and existing businesses that want to improve their performance, as well as serving in community groups like the Ruskin Community Action Group, the South Shore Round Table, the Ruskin Civic Association, the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce, the SouthShore Alliance, and the Ruskin Community Development Foundation. Ron Wolfe also wrote a weekly column for The Observer News for many years.
One of the highlights of the evening was when Heather posed for photos in the dining hall with her father and grandfather standing behind a beautiful hand-knitted American flag made by Joann Paiz, VFW Auxiliary Life Member, and donated by her brother, Jim Linenberger of Fort Logan, Colo.
“I love coming back to the Ruskin VFW,” said Barr. “For me, it’s like coming home to visit family.”
For more information on the VFW Memorial Post 6287, visit vfwpost6287.com.
