DUNMORE, Pa. — Eric Darling and his fellow members of Valhalla Veterans Services deal with a lot of heavy, serious issues, but they still know how to loosen up and have a little fun.
"Within the military culture, and with veteran culture too, one of our greatest strengths is our humor, our ability to have fun. And a lot of times, we lose that when we leave the military," Darling said.
Another strength is not backing down from a little friendly competition. This weekend, that competition comes in the form of a cornhole tournament.
"We all know that Army's the best branch out there. But we'd like to see some Marines out there, butting heads, and this is what it's about getting together, building those relationships, and understanding that the weight you carry inside, you don't have to carry by yourself," said retired Staff Sgt. Earl Granville.
On Saturday, Valhalla is combining fun with fundraising for the important work their organization does.
"We provide counseling for veterans, police, firefighters, EMTs—all the people that are brave enough to run towards danger. We like to say if you're brave enough to run towards danger, you should be brave enough to ask for help," Darling said.
The event also includes a craft fair.
"We have Just Jewelry by Katie. She's our youngest crafter. She's 12 years old," Andrea Wharton said.
"About a third of the vendors are first responders or veterans. What we did was we offered them a discounted price in order to say thank you for their service and also for serving their community," said Valhalla's John Wharton.
It all starts at 10 a.m on Saturday at Sherwood Park in Dunmore. Register for the cornhole tournament that morning; bags fly at noon.
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