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Veteran Center gives couple their dream wedding

The Herald News - 7/2/2017

JOLIET ? Both dressed in white on a Saturday afternoon, a service member and his fiancee travelled roughly 878 miles to get married at the Friends and Family day care center at 701 Abe St. in Joliet.

Forty-nine-year-old Sgt. Sean Patrick Draughn and 53-year-old Venus Lynette Campbell met seven years ago. While the couple currently lives in Gulfport, Mississippi, Venus is a native of Lockport, so traveling to have the wedding near her hometown allowed her to have more family and friends attend.

"I don't have much family here [in Mississippi.] To be able to go back and have family and friends make it, made it so much better," Venus said.

They were invited by Catherine Beavers, who runs the center, to hold the wedding free of charge on June 24 after she received a call about them.

"A friend called and said [Sean] didn't have much money and he wanted to get married. So we let him use the Family and Friends adult day center," Beavers said.

In the evenings and on weekends the community can rent it out for a small fee as a means to fundraise money to assist and accommodate the veterans Beaver houses. Beavers does not charge veterans to use the center. She encourages veterans to rent the space for whatever they need like birthday parties, showers or weddings at no cost to the veteran.

The venue was split into two rooms. On one side it was set up "like a church" as Venus recalls, with an alter and an isle for the ceremony. After they exchanged vows, it was quickly taken down and replaced with more tables and the room was opened up as an extension of the reception hall.

"I liked how it was separate and you felt like you were in a church, but then it was blended into one. I loved how it was set up," Venus said.

The DJ was a veteran who used to be housed by Beavers. Most of the work to make the Draughn's special day was done by veterans currently housed in Beaver's veteran program.

"They both looked really nice. It was so exciting. About 80 people came. It was a lovely crowd of people that came from all over," Beavers said.

Sean did not have a lot of family so he said coming up here made it easier for him. He had Beaver's husband Larry as his best man.

"It was a class and family reunion wedding," Sean said with a chuckle. "[Beavers] gave us our dream wedding."

Venus said the Friends and Family center was a perfect venue for them and the day was wonderful thanks to the work Beavers did.

"She went out of her way to have it here, taking care of the cost, and doing everything," Venus said.

Sean will be retiring from the Army National Guard on Aug. 21, completing 30 years of service.

Beavers began housing and working with veterans because her son is a veteran and her brother-in-law died in the service.

This was the first wedding she has held for a service member at the center, but the third wedding held there overall. Beavers said she wants to continue to give back to veterans and rent out the space to the community to fundraise for the veterans she houses.

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To rent the Friends and Family day center and for more information, contact Catherine Beavers at 815-557-7010 or beaverscatherine@yahoo.com.