Creve Coeur Area Couple Helping Organize Parade For Iraq War Vets

St. Louis knows how to throw a parade. The Cardinals helped the community prove that once the team's magical run to a World Series title came to fruition last fall. Now, a grassroots group is coming together to show the same can be done to honor returning Iraq war veterans.

What started as a dream a little more than a week ago now has a Facebook group page with more than 1500 members. The group, led by Tom Applebaum— a Creve Coeur area resident who is also a member of the Parkway School board— and Craig Schneider, a St. Charles resident who works for the St. Charles School District, needs to raise $25,000 by Friday at midnight if their goal of holding a "Welcome Home The Heroes From Iraq" parade downtown on January 28 can become a reality.

Applebaum's wife, LaDonna, told Patch Wednesday that the organizers have approval from the City of St. Louis to move forward as far as parade logistics are concerned. The Friday night deadline was set by an unnamed Veterans charity organization, which Ladonna Applebaum said told them "would bring in the big guns" to make the rest of it happen.

She said appointments with potential corporate sponsors were already scheduled for Thursday and that they are already a quarter of the way to their goal just since a KSDK-TV story on the effort aired Tuesday night.

If organizers cannot raise the money by the deadline, funds will be donated to the veteran's charity organization. Schneider told Patch late Wednesday afternoon that volunteers unable to donate money could still be of help in donating time to prepare next week for the parade and a veterans resource village which would also be part of the event.

For more information:

• Check out the event's Facebook page
• Email a pledge to iraqwelcomehome@gmail.com
• Fax a pledge to (314) 985-0637

Applebaum said donors do not need to provide credit card information when making a pledge.