Newsletter - October 2006

American Legion Family:

National Commander: A personal thanks to all who made the National Commander’s visit to our Post a memorable one. It was standing room only and the Commander was impressed with the entire event, starting with the Legion Rider escort and ending with the final prayer. You set the bar high for others to follow.

2007 Dues Increase: Membership has voted to increase the yearly dues to $30/year to take affect Jan. 1 2007. This was needed to cover the national increase voted on at the National Convention. Remember, if you pay your dues before Dec 15, it is still $25. Do not wait to renew, and save $5. If you are considering Life Membership, it will save a lot more and you will be immune to all future increases. The Rate Table for Life Membership follows:

Age Group Times Annual Dues
18-40 16
41-60 14
61-70 10
71 and up 7

By purchasing a Life Membership before Jan., a significant amount of money can be saved.
Note: The Dec. 15 date is to assure all dues are received at the Dept. level in time.

Post 136 Halloween Party: When was the last time you dressed up as something you are not? OK, don’t answer that. When was the last time you got dressed up and went to a Halloween party? If it’s been awhile, the Post is hosting a party after dinner on Friday, Oct. 27. There will be prizes for costumes, a lot of music, and maybe some games. Should be a blast and it gives everyone a reason to look like an idiot without others really thinking you are one. Maybe.

Veterans Day: Though still over a month away, please plan to attend the Veterans Day events at the post. We will have the traditional flag retirement ceremony at dusk, followed by a Legion membership initiation.. If you have never been formally initiated into the American Legion, the Dept. Commander, Pat Culver, will be here to perform the ceremony. We will end the evening with a pot luck dinner provided by the Ladies Auxiliary. Veterans do not have to bring anything for the dinner.

VA Van: A number of posts are involved with raising money for a new van that will be used to transport sick and injured vets to the VA. Approximately $8k of the $11k needed has been raised. Membership voted $250 as a donation and the Legion Riders have committed $110. This Friday, Oct. 6, there will be a raffle at the Friday evening dinner. All proceeds will go towards the van. Money must be raised by Nov.1 in order to get the van at the reduced price. This is a great cause to support and time is of the essence.

Hospice Volunteers Needed: Anyone interested in volunteering at Heartland Hospice, please call Jackie Brown at 216-789-2006.

Crickets: A little shock and awe is in order for the cricket population now in residence at the post. Bombing will begin as soon as the ordinance is on board.

KPTS Advertising: 5th District Commander Bud Canady has come up with a novel way to get some American Legion publicity. The KPTS series “Victory at Sea” is a 26 episode program. It is run twice/year for a total of three years. They have agreed to air 10 second ads before and after each episode, which will advertise the American Legion. Each post is asked to support this effort with $100 this year and $100 next. This was approved by membership at the Oct. 2 general meeting.

Oratorical Contest: If your high school age children or any you know, are looking for scholarship help, do not overlook the American Legion Sponsored Oratorical Contest that will be coming up in a few months. This contest, (held in Andover this year), is a chance for our youth to study and then speak about our Constitution. Winners at the district level earn $500, and attend state competition. The winner of state then goes national and can win up to $18,000 in scholarship. Please contact Tom Knight, Post 136 Service Officer for more details.

50/50 Tickets: We are working on a program to allow members to win some $ and help the post at the same time. Details are not yet worked out, but the idea will be to sell 50/50 tickets at any time. Tickets would cost $1/chance or 6 for $5. At each monthly meeting, the winner will be pulled and notified. With a drawing once a month, the pot can be significant. The post’s take would be used for specific post needs ie: a new big screen, etc. as decided by the Executive Board. More information will come out as details are settled.

Fun Stuff: I am looking for a few people to come up with ideas for some good times at the post. We seem to work hard and not take much time for fun. The Halloween party is coming up, but what about the next 3-4 months? Why can’t we have at least one event a month (dances, fish fry, naked twister, etc) that will get us together, without trying to raise money, work on projects, or do any business other than have fun. If you have some ideas, or would like to be part of a core group to come up with ideas, let me know. (And yes, the naked twister was a joke).

Old Settlers: Of the 700 ticket packets sent to our members in July for the Old Settlers Day weekend, only 28% were returned with donations. This is traditionally our largest money maker of the year. The low volume will hinder, but not halt our mission.

Aux, News: The Ladies Aux. will be providing the decorations for the Halloween party and setting up some games. They will also provide the main portion of the meal for the Veterans day pot luck dinner. A trip to Villa Maria nursing home is scheduled.

Meetings:
S.A.L: Oct 8 - 2:00
ALR: Oct 8 - 3:00
Board of Gov.: Oct. 25 - 7:00 (open to the membership)
Executive Board: Nov 1 – 7:00
General Meeting: Nov 6 – 7:00

Significant dates in American Legion History:
Oct. 1, 1995-AL forms Persian Gulf Task Force to enhance service to these veterans.
Oct. 10-11, 2001-American Legacy Scholarship Fund for children of military members KIA on or after 9/11/01.
Oct. 17, 2003-AL efforts on Capitol Hill break deadlock on Disabled Veterans Tax. Efforts also result in passage of Military Family Tax Relief Act

Rick Babinger
Commander- Post 136