On Tuesday, September 13, 2016 thirty-six Minnesota veterans from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans 4 Veterans (V4V), and Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) as well as veteran residents of the Augustana Care facility of Burnsville were treated to a 3-hour cruise and tour of Lake Minnetonka, including a box lunch, by local businessman Gabriel Jabbour, former mayor of Orono, MN.
The veterans gathered at Tonka Bay Marina at 11AM for what turned out to be a grand weather day cruising beautiful Lake Minnetonka.
During the cruise, Mr. Jabbour provided history about “Big Island” which for many years was a veteran’s camp and then enjoyed a box lunch and drink on the shores of the island. To learn more about the island follow this link http://www.ci.orono.mn.us/index.asp and search for Big Island History. They visited many areas of the Lake which has 124 miles of beautiful shoreline. The lake is located approximately 15 miles west-southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota and is one of the state’s most popular among boaters, fishermen, and recreationists.
Mr. Jabbour said: “Ultimately, my goal is just to make the community a little better every day. I am committed to try and see the lake better off when I leave than when I found it.”
Dean Ascheman, one of the organizers of the outing said: “The event was organized by members of Southern MN DAV Chapters including Mankato, New Ulm, Mayo, Mayo Southeast, and Augustana Care facility of Burnsville as a part of their Outdoors program for veterans.” “Gabriel Jabbour’s continuous support and generosity for our veterans made for a very enjoyable day on beautiful Lake Minnetonka.”
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Link to local newspaper articles of the event are below.
Meghan Davy – Lake Shore Weekly News. See at: http://www.swnewsmedia.com/lakeshore_weekly/news/local/veterans-enjoy-lake-minnetonka/article_489a6b88-7746-5847-a9f6-6f73eb387205.html