SUNBURY – Not one, but two.

A pair of national awards awaits members of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7312 and Auxiliary of Sunbury.

Thanks to their hard work and dedication to community, the local VFW Post and Auxiliary has been selected to receive the prestigious Fred C. Hall Memorial Outstanding Post Special Project Award. This competition is designed to recognize VFW Posts, County Councils, Districts and Departments for unique and outstanding community service projects that are over and above what is expected of VFW units.

In announcing the award, National Commander Gary Kurpius said, “This project is a shining example of what the VFW is all about. Members of Post 7312 have been serving their community and the country for more than 50 years. They are the best of the best.”

Post 7312 and Auxiliary are being recognized for their annual salute to hospitalized veterans. They take permanently hospitalized veterans with serious, service-connected spinal cord injuries out of the hospital for a day of home-cooked meals, entertainment and meeting the community.

Representatives from Sunbury Post 7312 will travel to the National VFW and Ladies Auxiliary Community Service Conference on March 4-7 in Washington, DC to collect their award. That honor comes with a minimum $1,000 service scholarship for community projects as well as a plaque congratulating them for this exceptional project.

While in the nation’s capital, the local Gates County contingent will also collect a VFW National Award of Excellence. That award also honors Post 7312 and Auxiliary for their efforts with the hospitalized veterans. It is given for a truly outstanding project that fulfills a specific need and benefits the community.

The VFW assists all veterans and their families obtain veterans’ entitlements and other services. In addition, the organization works for the well being of those serving on active duty, in the National Guard and the Reserves.

Founded in 1899, the VFW currently boasts of 2.4 million members and approximately 8,500 Posts worldwide.