For six years, the Loveland American Legion Post 256 and Ladies Auxiliary have held a picnic for the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCDD) in honor of two long-time members. This year, the picnic was a celebration and memorial for one additional family member who recently passed away.
Bill and Carol Kern (known affectionately as Momma and Poppa Kern to all who knew them) were members of Post 256 and Ladies Auxiliary respectively and became volunteers of the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCDD) in the 1990s. Over the years, they helped the Legion host yearly social activities for teenagers and adults with developmental disabilities that included summer dances, cornhole tournaments, and other fun activities. There were lots of friendships made between the participants from CCDD and the Legion members, some of which continue to this day. When the Kerns passed away, their son Mike and daughter-in-law Emily decided to continue the tradition of yearly CCDD activities by adding a spring picnic to the list of activities they host each year, as a way of remembering Momma and Poppa Kern.
In February of this year, their family suffered another loss when Mike passed away. It seemed only fitting that, at this year’s picnic on May 16, CCDD honor Mike and his parents with something that would be a lasting memory for them. During the picnic, CCDD presented a rosebush to honor the Kerns. The bush will be planted on the Legion grounds.
“Today, we donate this rosebush, as a symbol of our appreciation to Mike and his family for continuing to host our activities over the years,” said Superintendent Dan Ottke. “We chose a red rosebush, so we can remember the love Mike and his parents shared with us over the years.”
For more information about the Loveland American Legion and Ladies Auxiliary, visit their Facebook page @AmericanLegionPost256. For CCDD info, visit clermontdd.org.
