“FOR GOD AND COUNTRY”
Veterans Serving America
Since 1919
Paul Stewart Irwin Post 136 Monthly Newsletter – July 2008
http://www.al136.com/
American Legion Family:
Membership:
While the membership year is from January 1 to December 31, you are now able to pay your 2009 dues. You should have, or will shortly have your renewal notice. It helps our membership numbers and quota control if we pay before the end of the year and I wish to emphasize the importance of renewing as soon as you can. Our power in Washington comes from the membership numbers across the country, so if able, please avoid the push at years end.
Life Memberships are always available for your consideration. Post 136 is one of the few posts that pay any increase in dues forever. If you purchase a Life Membership, you will never pay dues again and will not be bothered by people like me trying to get you to pay before year-end.
Old Settlers Tickets:
For general expense purposes, Post 136 has only one real fundraiser per year, and that is the Old Settlers Day programs we partake in. The lion’s share of that are the raffle tickets that will be mailed shortly to each member. The prizes this year are $250 and $150 cash awards. A great deal of what we do and accomplish during the year depends on the return on these tickets. The past two years have had about 25% return. We have been good stewards of your post funds, but we need everyone’s help to increase the return and help the post. If you can sell just one book/member, and that is all we ask, we would be able to continue and even expand our programs. Please sell or purchase the raffle tickets you get and return to the post as quickly as possible. $10 extra a year is not a burden on anyone to help assure our financial well being and assist the Veteran programs we support. You will be seeing a few reminders over the next few weeks. We only have till the 3rd week in Aug to get the ticket money in. You will receive them in the next week or two.
Patriot Guard Pins are available for $5 each and the proceeds go 100% towards the American Legion Scholarship Fund to assist the children of those KIA to attend college. Pat Thacker and Terry Houck have the pins, but if you do not see them, get a hold of one of the post officers and we will make sure you get one.
The horseshoe tournament on the 4th of July was a great success with a lot of participation. Look for the next one on or about Labor Day weekend. Since these are not real serious games, everyone can get in and have a good time. More info will follow.
Plans to build a permanent Flag retirement burn area have been approved by the BOG and when the weather breaks a little, we will put it together out back. Greg Bauer is donating brick and before the next flag retirement ceremony we should have a more fitting location to retire our flags.
Community certificates of recognition will be presented once a month to different businesses and or individuals in the community that have served, helped, or in some way supported veterans or community. We will make announcements as they happen and the first will be later this month. I will inform everyone when it is set up. If you have any suggestions, let me know. We have three or four in the hopper at this time.
Gaming machine update:
If you were unaware, we were ordered to remove the gaming machines from the Post just before the holiday. This was due to questionable legality of the type of machine we had and ABC left it to the local police to enforce. We complied with the order and have since replaced the machines with new ones. These have the approval from Capt. Richardson from the Mulvane PD. She came to the post Wed to review them and we are good to go. While these are different, they meet the legal test and play the same as the old ones. A push machine was also added and should generate a lot of interest. At least one more will be added.
The income from these machines is what is used to fund the Veterans Hardship fund, Children and Youth, and the payment on the new AC/Heating system. The loss of this income would have been difficult to make up, but we feel we have a workable solution that is agreeable to the local authorities and hope all of you that have missed the games will be back at it. Thank you for your patience over the past ten days while we worked through this issue.
Debt reduction: With the threat of losing one of our major sources of income, the reality set in that we have debt that is vulnerable. The new AC/Heat system is the only debt the post has, even with all the remodeling. We are looking for ideas for this fall that can be used as a fund raiser for the sole purpose of paying down what we owe, in the event of some unforeseen circumstance. There is a lot of talent out there so if someone has some thoughts, let us know. We are financially in as good of shape as we have been in years, but it only takes one crisis and we are in trouble, so you can see why the one payment we have is in need of attention.
Rick
Commander
Veterans Serving America
Since 1919
Paul Stewart Irwin Post 136 Monthly Newsletter – July 2008
http://www.al136.com/
American Legion Family:
Membership:
While the membership year is from January 1 to December 31, you are now able to pay your 2009 dues. You should have, or will shortly have your renewal notice. It helps our membership numbers and quota control if we pay before the end of the year and I wish to emphasize the importance of renewing as soon as you can. Our power in Washington comes from the membership numbers across the country, so if able, please avoid the push at years end.
Life Memberships are always available for your consideration. Post 136 is one of the few posts that pay any increase in dues forever. If you purchase a Life Membership, you will never pay dues again and will not be bothered by people like me trying to get you to pay before year-end.
Old Settlers Tickets:
For general expense purposes, Post 136 has only one real fundraiser per year, and that is the Old Settlers Day programs we partake in. The lion’s share of that are the raffle tickets that will be mailed shortly to each member. The prizes this year are $250 and $150 cash awards. A great deal of what we do and accomplish during the year depends on the return on these tickets. The past two years have had about 25% return. We have been good stewards of your post funds, but we need everyone’s help to increase the return and help the post. If you can sell just one book/member, and that is all we ask, we would be able to continue and even expand our programs. Please sell or purchase the raffle tickets you get and return to the post as quickly as possible. $10 extra a year is not a burden on anyone to help assure our financial well being and assist the Veteran programs we support. You will be seeing a few reminders over the next few weeks. We only have till the 3rd week in Aug to get the ticket money in. You will receive them in the next week or two.
Patriot Guard Pins are available for $5 each and the proceeds go 100% towards the American Legion Scholarship Fund to assist the children of those KIA to attend college. Pat Thacker and Terry Houck have the pins, but if you do not see them, get a hold of one of the post officers and we will make sure you get one.
The horseshoe tournament on the 4th of July was a great success with a lot of participation. Look for the next one on or about Labor Day weekend. Since these are not real serious games, everyone can get in and have a good time. More info will follow.
Plans to build a permanent Flag retirement burn area have been approved by the BOG and when the weather breaks a little, we will put it together out back. Greg Bauer is donating brick and before the next flag retirement ceremony we should have a more fitting location to retire our flags.
Community certificates of recognition will be presented once a month to different businesses and or individuals in the community that have served, helped, or in some way supported veterans or community. We will make announcements as they happen and the first will be later this month. I will inform everyone when it is set up. If you have any suggestions, let me know. We have three or four in the hopper at this time.
Gaming machine update:
If you were unaware, we were ordered to remove the gaming machines from the Post just before the holiday. This was due to questionable legality of the type of machine we had and ABC left it to the local police to enforce. We complied with the order and have since replaced the machines with new ones. These have the approval from Capt. Richardson from the Mulvane PD. She came to the post Wed to review them and we are good to go. While these are different, they meet the legal test and play the same as the old ones. A push machine was also added and should generate a lot of interest. At least one more will be added.
The income from these machines is what is used to fund the Veterans Hardship fund, Children and Youth, and the payment on the new AC/Heating system. The loss of this income would have been difficult to make up, but we feel we have a workable solution that is agreeable to the local authorities and hope all of you that have missed the games will be back at it. Thank you for your patience over the past ten days while we worked through this issue.
Debt reduction: With the threat of losing one of our major sources of income, the reality set in that we have debt that is vulnerable. The new AC/Heat system is the only debt the post has, even with all the remodeling. We are looking for ideas for this fall that can be used as a fund raiser for the sole purpose of paying down what we owe, in the event of some unforeseen circumstance. There is a lot of talent out there so if someone has some thoughts, let us know. We are financially in as good of shape as we have been in years, but it only takes one crisis and we are in trouble, so you can see why the one payment we have is in need of attention.
Rick
Commander
