Veterans help baby in San Diego

Dianna M. Náñez
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 5, 2006 12:00 AM

While the mother and grandmother of Brooklyn Denlinger sit in a San Diego hospital awaiting liver transplant fo the 1-year-old, an extended family of Southeast Valley veterans are praying for her safe return home.

Praying for the health of loved ones is nothing new for the veterans community. Military-service families know better than most what it is like to worry about the safety of far-away child, sibling or parent.

That is why when East Valley American Legion members heard of Brooklyn's life-threatening liver disease, they did not think twice about pitching in to help the Tempe family.

An effort to coordinate a September 23 motorcycle poker benefit run was undertaken by Tempe's William Bloys American Legion Post 2 in conjunction with Evolution Cycle, a Tempe-based motorcycle company.

Soon American Legion posts from Gilbert to Fountain Hills pitched in with more than 40 corporate sponsors to host a motorcycle run that garnered 100 registrants.

The benefit became a community effort.

Gilbert American Legion Post 39 sponsored a free morning breakfast stop, Scottsdale offered a free lunch, waitresses from a Chandler Elks Lodge donated their tips and along the way people offered prayers and donations for a family they had never met.

The final tally was $20,500, said Dave Grey, president of the Tempe American Legion Riders.

"It was amazing, people just kept chipping in,' Grey said. "We made an extra $3,000 in donations that day."

Robert Shinn, of Evolution Cycle, said they even touched the heart of an anonymous woman who donated $10,000 after hearing reports of Brooklyn's condition.

"She said she had just received a settlement and wanted to help," Shinn said. "It was money I never had," she said.

"Nowadays, things are so hard and crazy, you have people shooting up kids and then you se the soft, giving side of people. It makes you feel like there are still some people that care."

Shinn, 48, a 1976-78 Air Force veteran, said he was inspired by his fellow veterans' efforts to help Brooklyn.

"They are a self-caring, self giving organization It's completely internalized," Shinn said. "They wanted to do this to help this girl and her family. They just kept giving and giving."

Saying the Iraq War is creating a generation of veterans, Shinn is pleading with American sto become more active in their enduring support of veterans.

"Quit giving up on us when we're not in the service," he said.

Joe Heller, Gilbert Legion commander, said he has seen a rise in membership since the war began.

"We went from 480 to 512 (members) last year, and this year we went from 512 to 540, an increase of roughly 12 to 14 percent," Heller said.

The day of the benefit run, Heller said he signed up five members.

"We had people tell us they didn't know there was a Legion here," Heller said. "It was a lot of fun, especially for being a good cause and meeting new people and old friends in support of Brooklyn."

Phoenix Legionnaire Gayle Reed, 56, also encouraged the community to become involved with one of the roughly 117 Arizona Legions.

"The families that are left back here, they need emotional support, some of them need financial support," Reed said. "The stronger our Legion gets, the more say we have in Washington to get veterans' rights."

Brooklyn's grandmother, Judy Bostick, of Chandler, said she was grateful to the Legionnaire veterans who were still helping save lives like her granddaughter's.