We are thrilled to announce the 2018 Veteran’s Raffle winner, LaVonne Black, of New Albany, Pennsylvania. LaVonne spent eight years in the army as a German linguist and additional time after in the reserves.
LaVonne has never been to Star Island, but was encouraged by a friend to apply. She is excited to check out the conferences and to enjoy a relaxing experience on Star.
In a beautiful thank you letter to Star Island, LaVonne wrote, “I always loved traveling, but we have never spent time on the coast, so I would love to explore your island…my military service was a great opportunity for a small town farm girl. I had never imagined seeing so many parts of the world and meeting so many people from different parts of the country. I was proud to serve and represent my country. It’s a part of my life I will always be proud of…it left me feeling good about the world because of the great people I met. Since that is one of the things you said about your island, I was very impressed”. LaVonne shared this photo from 29 years ago, during her time in the army. She also shared the more recent photo below from this year’s Christmas card!
Here, LaVonne and her husband of 28 years, David, are pictured with their dog, Xena. LaVonne and David met during their military service when stationed in Berlin. She works as a technician with a major corporation and David is a nurse at the Veterans Administration.
LaVonne is looking forward to spending a week on Star Island with her daughter, who is graduating from college soon. We are deeply grateful for her service, and the service of all of our military veterans. We can’t wait to meet LaVonne, and for her to enjoy all the island has to offer!