From the Commander
Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone who came to our post for our Christmas Luncheon and New Year’s party had a great time. It seems like for me 2019 went by really fast, but I’m looking forward to a great new year in 2020.
We need to bring in younger veterans and, therefore, need to include the kids in our activities. To help with this, we have an activities committee that meets on Sundays, so if you have any ideas let just get with our Chaplin or anyone on the committee.
As we tried a few things this year with trying to make some events family friendly we received some feedback that we should try to split the parties. One for families and the other for adults. We heard what you had to say, so as we go into 2020, we will plan dual parties. We also heard that dinner and a movie at the club may be in the near future. Another option could be Lunch with the kids and a movie. Details are still being worked out. This should be a great time to get our kids or grand kids to be a part of our club and hopefully this will bring in more of our members, so the kids can be a part of our VFW.
Our Post will be hosting an event for the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce on January 16th from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Food will be provided, but if you plan on attending you need to let the Auxiliary know so they can get a headcount as this is a catered event. We believe this will be a great opportunity for local area businesses to see what we have to offer and maybe be able to help us do some fundraising.
Another way we are trying to get more members is we have a booth at the Community Expo on March 28th from 8:00 until 2:00 at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium. This is a good way for our Post to get exposure in the community. As we get closer to the event, we will be looking for volunteers to help man the booth.
Our Auxiliary is having a Raffle of 10 different gift cards valued at $500.00, and there are only 200 tickets available for a $5.00 Donation. The winner will receive all 10 gift cards. As you can see, if you haven’t been to the club lately, you may be missing out on some great activities. So, come and see us this year, because we are trying a lot of new things and don’t worry, we aren’t getting rid of our tried and true activities. We want our Post to be a place where friends gather to have a good time.
Another reminder that dues are due January 1st. Our bartenders will be asking to see your membership card for 2020, don’t give them a hard time if they ask more than once! The annual membership this year is still at $35.00 for Social (Canteen) and Regular members. Auxiliary members please see one of the Auxiliary Officers for your dues.
Thank you and hope to see you in 2020!
From the Auxiliary
Happy New Year! Time to get to work and the Auxiliary is already working hard.
As we wrapped up 2019, we gained three new members: two transfers and one new Auxiliary member. We look forward to having them as part of our group.
For Christmas, we adopted a local veteran’s family as we have done in years past, along with support from our own VFW. This year we adopted a female veteran and her three young children. Since she spent Christmas out of state, Treasurer Joyce Hickman and President Mary Frances McGraw delivered the gifts on January 2, 2020. The children were excited to receive toys and the veteran was grateful that we were willing to do this for her and her children. Joyce made sure to invite her to stop in at the Post, especially to meet new people since she is not native to the area.
Acme Community Cash Back has ended for this year, so if you have any receipts dated through December 28, 2019, please be sure to bring them into the Post so that they can be added to the final tally. The deadline to submit our form is February 7, 2020, so we want to make sure we get them turned in before then. As of December 16, 2019, we had collected Community Cash Back receipts totalling $2,261.19! Thank you for your support! A final total will be shared in next month’s newsletter and on our Facebook page, VFW Auxiliary Post 1062.
There was a lengthy discussion at our meeting last month regarding finding ways to include children in future events. According to long-time members, there used to be separate parties for children for events like Halloween and Easter that took place during the day. We are working on plans to bring those types of events back starting in 2020. More information will be available closer to those holidays.
As you may know, the Auxiliary is a member of the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce. On January 16, 2020, from 4:30p to 6:30p, the Auxiliary will be hosting the Chamber’s event Falls After Five. All active members are invited to attend. This is the first large networking event of the new year and we look forward to meeting business owners and leaders from our community. Along with Chamber CEO Laura Patrella, Auxiliary President Mary Frances McGraw and VFW Commander Bernie Gobrogge will be making remarks. We have contracted with Bellacino’s for catering. To register, please go to https://business.cfchamber.com/events/details/falls-after-five-networking-reception-january-16-2020-at-vfw-auxiliary-to-post-1062-6055?calendarMonth=2020-01-01. Please note: register as a guest, not a member.
The Lottery Board is back up! We will be drawing the winning ticket the Wednesday after all tickets are sold. We will then get another board up following each drawer. Since we will be using this schedule, we will have more than one drawing most months. Tickets are still $2 each available at the canteen. Have you gotten your tickets yet?
Speaking of raffles, the Auxiliary has a new one: a Gift Card Raffle! For $5/ticket, you have the chance of winning $500 worth of gift cards. The cards are for restaurants, major retailers, and gas stations! Stop by the Post to get your tickets before they sell out. The drawing will be held as soon as all tickets are sold.
As we begin this new year, all of us in the Auxiliary wish you and your family a healthy and happy 2020. We look forward to all of the opportunities that lie ahead and hope that we will see you at the Post!