New Vitae Wellness and Recovery residents and staff were happy to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday.

The Quakertown Pathways program enjoyed a cookout with ribs and grilling!  Many of the residents participated in both preparing for, serving, and cleaning up following the fun.   Several residents (and staff) raved about the food and followed up their meal with varied craft projects and a friendly game of basketball.

Residents in our Philadelphia homes also enjoyed celebrating the day.  A group dined outdoors with staff members, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.  Special barbequed dishes and sides were served, with residents assisting with the meal preparation and enjoying the fun decorations.  The group remembered the sacrifices of those who help us keep our freedom with their military service and celebrating those very freedoms they have earned.  Robert Dromboski, New Vitae’s Psychologist in Philadelphia, was on hand and asked to relate a personal story about Memorial Day.  He shared the story of his step-brother’s father, Lt. Frank Fazekas, as a pilot in World War II:

“My stepbrother, Frank Fazekas, bears the name of his father who was a pilot in World War II.  Lieutenant Frzekas was only 22 years old when his P-47 Thunderbolt fighter/bomber was shot down in Normandy a week before D-Day.  The plane, including Lt. Fazekas’ remains, was buried until 2018.  An Army team, using World War II reconnaissance photos, ground penetrating radar, and a dig by archaeologists recovered the plane and bone fragments that DNA testing was a match for my stepbrother, Frank.

Frank was 6 months old when his father went to war.  He read his father’s letters to his mother as a boy and learned to sign his name like his father. Frank built model airplanes, then joined civil air patrol, and went on to a career as a pilot himself, including a tour in Vietnam.  My brother retired as Lieutenant Colonel Frank Fazekas, Field Commander of Griffis Air Base in Utica, NY.  He learned the life of a patriot from the father he never met.

In March 2018, Lt. Frank Fazekas the World War II pilot was buried with my mother in Arlington, our most hallowed resting place for those who served their country.”

After a discussion of what it means to have the freedoms that some men and women gave their lives for, Philadelphia residents decided to celebrate and enjoy those freedoms with a cookout and dance.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken were rounded out with salads prepared by chefs.

In addition to the celebrations described above, residents and staff at Mt. Trexler Manor and Quakertown House both enjoyed special cookouts to celebrate the day.  Residents enjoyed spending time outdoors, playing Frisbee and enjoying the spring weather.

New Vitae Wellness and Recovery hopes that you and your families shared a peaceful Memorial Day! To learn about our treatment programs, contact New Vitae Wellness and Recovery.