News

Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063’s November newsletter is available for download here. Highlights of November’s issue include: Ballard Eighteen becomes Nineteen; Post provides honor guard for Mariano Berona’s funeral; and how the VFW stays tax-exempt.

By Harold Rodenberger

 

November marks the beginning of an important holiday period in our American culture. This month brings Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.

 

On Veterans Day we will be visiting the VA Hospital, distributing poppies, and attending cemetery ceremonies and other Veterans Day activities. If you are interested in participating in any of these events, please drop our commander or me an email so we can fill you in on the details.

 

An anonymous donor contacted me and made a National Home challenge for the December meeting. He will match all December National Home donations in excess of $100 so save up and let’s make a record contribution to our VFW National Home during the December meeting.

 

Our own Chuck Murrell will be inducted into the VA Hospital Wall of Heroes on November 9, 2016. Congratulations, Chuck! If you’d like to attend, the ceremony will be at 11:00 a.m. in the Healing Garden. Ask at the Information Desk if you need directions.

 

Don’t forget the special program honoring our World War II veteran members during the social meeting on Nov. 17.

 

Finally, November is a good time to remember to be thankful for the many good things in our lives. Even though we all have our troubles and rough spots in life, compared to people in most parts of the world we are living lives blessed with many freedoms and protections. As for me, I’m thankful for the many good and helpful members of our post and the officers who do so much to keep this post moving forward. Thank You!

 

By Harold Rodenberger

 

Since our founding as a federally chartered organization in 1899, our members have worked to help veterans and their families, to further patriotism and Americanism, and to help our communities. Because these goals are part of our mission the Internal Revenue Service has granted us tax-exempt status under the provisions of Section 501 (c) (19) of the tax code.

 

To maintain our tax-exempt status, each month we report community service performed by our members. Reports from the posts and districts are forwarded to and consolidated by the departments and from there forwarded to our national headquarters. To make these reports more complete we ask that each of our members forward qualifying actions so as much as possible can be included each month.

 

You might be surprised to learn that many things you do should be included so please make a note to compile and forward your contributions in the following areas.

 

Community Service: Activities that benefit your community, parks or neighborhood such as:

• Recycling
• Picking up trash
• Beautification projects
• Monetary donations to a local park, farmers’ market, or similar.

 

Citizenship Education and Americanism: Participation in:

• Parades
• Patriotic holiday events
• Public ceremonies
• Presenting flags or educational materials
• Attending funerals
• POW/MIA activities
• Loyalty Day activities
• Legislative activities
• Flying the American Flag (please specify lighted or unlit)
• Participation in Color/Honor Guard activities or placing flags on veterans’ graves.

 

Aid to Others:

• Hospital and nursing home visits
• Visits with senior citizens or house-bound neighbors
• Donations of care packages
• Helping to organize a blood drive or individual donations of blood, platelets or plasma
• Fundraising or assisting to build handicapped ramps or other home repairs and transporting others to doctors or hospital visits
• Donations of money or materials to the needy or thrift stores or other charitable organizations (please itemize so we can assign dollar values)
• Donations to homeless or to organizations that help the homeless and other charitable causes such as the USO, cancer society, March of Dimes, etc.

 

Youth Activities:

• Assisting at schools as guest speaker, volunteer coaching
• Donating money, materials or time to support Scouts, children’s sports or band functions
• Helping with Special Olympics or other help for special students or children.

 

Voice of Democracy, Youth Essay and Patriotic Art:

• Donations of time and money to locate, encourage and assist students to enter the VFW Voice of Democracy, Patriot’s Pen, Youth Essay and Patriotic Art contests.

 

Safety:

• Giving or attending classes or time and money spent to encourage safety, broken down by pedestrian, drug awareness, recreational, highway, fire or home safety.

 

Military Assistance:

• Any support given to a military unit, individual, or family member
• Sponsoring or attending “welcome home” ceremonies and other ceremonies honoring the military

 

 

Bill Hoeller (left) and Harold Rodenberger (right) conducted a flag retirement ceremony Sept. 18, 2016.  They honored twenty-seven unserviceable American Flags by properly disposing of them in their portable incineration device. They are now caught up so if you or your neighbors have an unserviceable flag, bring it by the office during regular office hours and they will add it to the collection for the next retirement ceremony.

 

Bill Hoeller, Gail Engler, and Pete Krawitz help shred documents Oct. 2, 2016 during a community shredding event in the post parking lot. During the three hours the truck was there the post shredded about 600 pounds of sensitive documents brought in by post members. The post will plan another shredding event next summer, so save wear and tear on your home shredder and save those old documents, ledgers, and check books for a professional shredding operation. This shredder can handle staples, paper clips, smaller bull clamps, ledger books, and other bulky documents that won’t go through a home shredder.