Friends of Lassen

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Friends of Lassen We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, officially named Friends of Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Home, Inc. Lassen VA Nursing Home feel more like home.

Our mission is to elevate our resident’s life by making Clyde E.

Here is a sneak peek of the newly created military gallery filled with antique recruiting posters to 2026 boots on the g...
10/15/2026

Here is a sneak peek of the newly created military gallery filled with antique recruiting posters to 2026 boots on the ground art work.

Our residents enjoying the music of Bob Ganley, made possible by the grant from Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall ...
10/07/2026

Our residents enjoying the music of Bob Ganley, made possible by the grant from Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall that supports our Music Therapy and Enrichment Program.

We had a fun time tailgating this afternoon with gumbo, corn bread and bread pudding. Thanks to the Bryan Tutten Memoria...
09/27/2026

We had a fun time tailgating this afternoon with gumbo, corn bread and bread pudding. Thanks to the Bryan Tutten Memorial Foundation and all the staff that made this a hit for our residents.

Thanks to the Bryan Tutten Memorial Foundation for the generous donation that will help cover costs for a mobile Touch2P...
09/23/2026

Thanks to the Bryan Tutten Memorial Foundation for the generous donation that will help cover costs for a mobile Touch2Play.

Photograph Mark Turner, Director Bryan Tutten Memorial Foundation and Eileen Alexon, President Friends of Lassen

https://touch2play.com

09/10/2026

Enjoy the sneak peek of our Duck family, the sitting area and our fountain in the garden that brings a tremendous amount of peace to our residents.

This may be the best ever Eagle Scout project! Look at these duck homes Troop 718 Ryker Rangnow dedicated to our Veteran...
09/10/2026

This may be the best ever Eagle Scout project!

Look at these duck homes Troop 718 Ryker Rangnow dedicated to our Veteran residents. We just love that they made one for each Service. We are so grateful to Troop 718 for their thoughtful donation.

Our residents and their guests love our Duck Family.

Thank you!!!!


Many thanks to the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall (PVCH) for their gracious grant that will support our Music T...
09/10/2026

Many thanks to the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall (PVCH) for their gracious grant that will support our Music Therapy and Enrichment Program.

Friends of Lassen is thrilled to be collaborating with PVCH Friends, as they are known to Bring the Power of Music Into the Lives of People.

This grant is made to honor the service of Gordon Gard, father of the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall first President, Steve Gard.

This pilot is PVCH Friends’ first program funding music enrichment for a senior population with cognitive decline, under the auspices of their Community Working Group and we are honored to be a part.

We look forward to a heartfelt and lasting collaboration to Bring The Power Of Music Into The Lives Of our residents at Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans’ Nursing Home.

Photograph from left to right:

Eileen Alexon, President, Friends of Lassen
Steve Gard, first President of Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Duane Lupinski, President, Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

Friends of Lassen is grateful to be collaborating with Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, known to Bring the Power...
09/10/2026

Friends of Lassen is grateful to be collaborating with Friends of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, known to Bring the Power of Music Into the Lives of People.

This grant is made to honor the service of Gordon Gard, father of the Friends of PVCH first President, Steve Gard.

Gordon Gard’s military service began in 1942 when he was 17 years old. He was 16 when the war began in 1941. He tried to enlist in the Navy when he turned 17, as his father had done, but the Navy rejected him because of his poor eyesight. He then joined the Army as a private in the cavalry because he liked to ride horses. Rather than putting him on a horse, the Army assigned him as the driver of a three-man jeep in a reconnaissance platoon. He was part of the D-Day invasion, landing on Omaha Beach on June 7, 1944, D-Day +1. He climbed out of his landing craft in water that was over his head, so he had to drop his r***e, ammo belt and backpack so that he didn't drown. He was unable to find another r***e on the beach, so he took grenades from some dead and wounded soldiers and fought solely with grenades for two days until his r***e was replaced.

He fought through France, Belgium, and Germany until 1945, including during the Battle of the Bulge. During that battle, he almost died when a German tank round hit his jeep but did not detonate. He was wounded one time during the war, but refused the Purple Heart medal because he did not want his mother to worry about him.

After Germany surrendered in May 1945, he remained in Germany awaiting orders transferring him to the Pacific. After Japan's surrender in September 1945, he was discharged from the Army.

We are honored to continue to share Gordon Gard’s legacy.

From the grant provided by Friends of Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, we are able to enhance our music enrichment program by p...
08/30/2026

From the grant provided by Friends of Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, we are able to enhance our music enrichment program by partnering with De Luna a harp and flute artist, a first time experience for our veterans that are living with dementia.

Our residents thoroughly enjoyed the recent addition to our music enrichment program, thanks to The Friends of Ponte Ved...
08/18/2026

Our residents thoroughly enjoyed the recent addition to our music enrichment program, thanks to The Friends of Ponte Vedra Concert Hall grant.

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Saint Augustine, FL
32086

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