A group of retired area men recently donated $300 to the Veterans of Menominee Nation.
Many of the ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out) group members are veterans, and the donation was made in appreciation of veterans’ service when the group gathered in August at War Bonnet Bar and Grill in Keshena.
Jim Skomski, who leads the informal group, said members hold a 50/50 raffle at each meeting. Once it was decided to make a donation to the veterans group, many winners of the jackpot donated the funds back to give to the veterans.
“It took us maybe two years to get $300,” Skomski said.
The group will mark its 15-year anniversary in November.
“Fifteen years ago, I was looking for four or five guys to go out to breakfast with, and that was about it,” Skomski said.
His wife noted there had been a ROMEO group years earlier, so the men chose to rekindle it.
Skomski said the roster has grown to upwards of 42 members, but because so many are snowbirds, the winter meetings often revert back to four or five guys.
“In the summertime, we try to do different things, go to different places and see things,” he said.
There is no specific age requirement, just retirement. Skomski said members are between 60 and 90.
“There’s a big spread in there,” he said.
Most members are from Shawano and Menominee counties.
“As life goes on … people either drive away or pass away,” Skomski said of the number of men in the group.
The men meet for a meal and social time every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at various restaurants in the area.
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Retired men’s group gives to Menominee veterans
