Newsletter - July 2006, Part 2

American Legion Family:

FACILITY UPDATE:
As of this writing, here is an update on the Post home improvements:
Flag Pole-complete
New Post Lettering on outside of building-complete
Post clean up-ongoing as needed
Ceiling in meeting hall-complete
Light kits in meeting hall-complete
Two additional fans with light kits in meeting hall-in progress
Painting in meeting hall-in progress
Ceiling in Canteen-Scheduled for 7/17
Painting in Canteen-Will schedule when ceiling is complete. Paint is purchased
Sign-New sign should be installed within 2-3 weeks
Carpeting in meeting hall-Decision made to replace with tile. Will purchase as soon as funds are available. May be sooner than you think.
Display Case-Will get cost estimate and timing from Dan, and begin work as soon as possible.

How much has this cost the American Legion general fund to this point? $0.00. All funds and labor to this point have been donated! This includes a $1000 donation from Beran Concrete towards the sign, which is being supplied at a reduced rate by George Lay Signs Inc. This is the result of Legion and ALR member Ron Herndon beating the bushes in our behalf. The letters in front were purchased and installed by Tom Knight. Labor and donations for all other projects are the result of a small percentage of our membership stepping up with money and time. We do not need a lot of money or time from a few members. We need a little money and or time from a lot of members. Look into your heart, and if you can help, please consider it.

Dedication update: August 13 is still the date for the dedication of the stone in front. Agenda and plans are on poster board and in the meeting hall. Please keep this day open. This dedication is for every Patriot that supports our fallen soldiers and their families. More will be posted on the web page as we get closer.


ALR News:
July 22-All you can eat spaghetti feed will be held at the post from 5 till 8. Auction and dance will follow. Proceeds going to the building fund, the American Legion Legacy fund and ALR programs. This is a fun way to support our Post. Cost: $6.50.

July 16-Meeting at Juanita Milligan’s home, 2010 Northridge, Andover to work on her house and yard. MSGT Milligan was injured by an IED in Iraq. She has had multiple surgeries at Walter Reed and this effort is to help an injured American hero in time of need. All are welcome to assist. Meet at 8:00am.

Dept. Commander Homecoming: Reminder that the Dept. Commanders homecoming will take place Aug. 5. It is a real honor that the Post 136 is the home of Pat Culver, Department Commander, and we need to be there to support her. There will be a POW/MIA ceremony led by our own members. Cost of the event is $22.00 and you need to RSVP to Don Culver by July 27. The homecoming will be held at the Best Western at I-135 & 53rd St. Social hour: 5:30.

Old Settlers Update: Tickets have been mailed and we need everyone to sell and return the donations as soon as you can. This is the biggest fund raiser of the year, and we cannot afford to not have a lot of participation. Extra tickets can be signed out at the bar.

Front Air Conditioner: You will probably feel a lot cooler while sitting in the bar on a hot day. The AC unit has been repaired.

SAL: Jim Jones has been elected as Squadron Commander at the July 9th meeting. Congratulations Jim. You have the Post’s full support.

MISC:

Old Settlers tickets have been mailed to all Post members. This event is the single biggest fund raiser we have for the year and is instrumental in keeping our programs going. Please get the donations in to the Finance Officer-Richard Carpenter, as soon as possible. If you need more tickets, they can be signed out at the bar.

2007 dues can be paid at any time. Due to all the activity with the post, the Early Bird dinner will be delayed. The fiscal year for the American Legion begins July 1, so any time the mood hits you to renew, the better off we are for meeting membership goals.

Sick Call: Post Chaplain Alan Gwinup is at the VA Hospital, Room 262 as of 7/11. Visitors are recommended and welcome.

Phil Stratford, Life Member now living in Oklahoma, has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Please remember both in your thoughts and prayers.

Rick Babinger
Commander-Post 136

Newsletter - July 2006, Part 1

American Legion Family:

With the Forth of July holiday delaying our meeting until July 10, a shortened newsletter and calendar will be issued now. An update will be sent after the July meetings.

Flag Day:

Thanks to all who came out for the short ceremony on June 14 to honor our country’s flag. We had a few members of the community, and hope to build on this in the years ahead. It is a terrible thing to lose your patriotism, but a sad thing to have patriotism and feel embarrassed to show it in public. For those few that could not bring themselves to leave the bar for the 10 minutes it took to honor our flag, feel free to be ashamed of yourselves.

Post News:

• PR Officer: Bill Foster has stepped up and accepted the newly created position of Post 136 PR Officer. Bill has extensive experience in this type of work, and is showing his worth with the coordination of the dedication event planned in Aug. Bill is also a member of ALR. Thank you Bill.
• Post Image: Last month we discussed some much needed physical improvements to the post home, both outside and inside. Here is an update.
• Light kits have been installed on all lights in the meeting room.
• Two new fans, (with lights), have been purchased and awaiting installation.
• Flag pole has been painted
• All walls in meeting room have been prepared for paint and all surfaces cleaned. This includes the kitchen, bathrooms and floors.
• Paint has been purchased and all walls and ceiling should be painted prior to our July 10th meeting.
• Plans are made for a 12 foot, lighted display case.
• Work is planned on the sign by the road.
• New letters have been ordered for the front of the post.

Here is how we progressed so far, in such a short period of time, with only a small amount of money. In fact the building fund has hardly been touched as yet.

1. Ruben Gonzales/Tim Burke: Knew we had a flag day ceremony and took the initiative to purchase paint and get the pole painted. At the same time they moved some poles from the rear of the post to protect the fence in front.
2. Diane Gonzales-called on the women of ALR and Darla Harper pushed for the Auxiliary, to strip walls, clean grout, vacuum carpet, scrub paneling, and the kitchen to prepare the post for paint. Bar is being cleaned as we speak.
3. ALR-donated $300 for fans, light kits etc.
4. Jim Stephens-donated $100 for paint.
5. Tim Burke-will replace and treat ceiling towels in the post.
6. Dan Flisram-volunteered to paint.
7. Ruben again, on Fathers Day, came to the post to clear drains that were clogged.
8. Tom Knight found a deal on letters for the front of the post that saved a lot of money and time.

Many more people are involved, and I wish I could mention all, but these are the kind of leaders we have. Not one had to be asked to step up. It just gets done and we are just getting started.

Liquor License—I am sure some of you noticed we had a problem with the license last week. Thanks to Dave Williams and Shirley, making double trips to Topeka and keeping on top of it, we had our license renewed on Monday. We also learned how to avoid the issues in the future.

Patriot Guard Dedication Ceremony-Big plans are being laid for the dedication of the Kansas ALR/Patriot Guard stone, on Aug. 13. A separate mailing, detailing the opportunities that lie ahead, and the unbelievable membership response will be coming out shortly.

Department News:

Department Commander Pat Culver, Department President Gwen Trost, and Detachment Commander James Burton will be having an American Legion Joint Homecoming, Saturday, Aug. 5th, at the Best Western North, Wichita, Ks. Social hour is 5:30 PM with dinner at 6:30. Anyone interested must R.S.V.P. by 7/27 and send remittance to: Don Culver
225 S. Willow Dr.
Derby, Ks 67037
316-788-5153 mailto:dlculver@swbell.net
Cost is $22 per person. Since the Dept. Commander is a member of Post 136, we need to show our support and be there for this honor.

Sick Call:

The granddaughter of Charley Hon, Legion and ALR member, was in an accident and in need of our help. She is in ICU at St. Francis Hospital with swelling of the brain and multiple fractures. A donation can has been placed on the bar. If you can give anything at all, this is where it should go. And please do not forget about the healing power of your prayers.

American Legion Post 136 Web Site: www.al136.com
ALL: Legion and ALR member John Wilson has created a web site for our Post. The link is above. Take a moment and bookmark this link. This is an amazing site. You can link to other sites (AUX, SAL, ALR), he has pictures, a blog site where the Commander can give updates during the month.

You can subscribe to the site so any update the Commander puts up, will automatically e-mail you with the update. To do so, connect to the site. Select “American Legion” and click on “Ricks Blog”, then select “Click here to open Commanders Blog”. On the right side of the page, is a “Subscribe to Blog” block. Enter your e-mail address and press “Subscribe”. You will receive a confirmation email from the Blog. Select “Click to confirm”. You will be taken to a web page confirming you are subscribed. Click to continue, and you are done.

Just to show how active this post is at the moment, this is a short newsletter. Will update it after the monthly general meeting on July 10. If you really want to know what is going on at your Post, and to take an active part in its direction, planning and future growth, please try to attend. The meeting is at 7:00PM and we need you.

Rick BabingerCommander-Post 136