Newsletter May 2021

From the Commander

Congratulations to all of the new officers who were elected for the 2021-2022 year. I’m looking forward to a great year and getting these restrictions lifted so we can start some fundraising events to continue to reach our goal to replace our post parking lot.

On May 1st we had our Post Cruise-in and we had a little over 40 cars, it was a great day. It was recorded by Ohio Car Shows and Cruise Ins and it will air on May 30th on Bally Sports after the Indians game, so check your local listing for the time because it’s possible it could air before the game. Our next Cruise-in will be from 12:00 – 4:00 on June 5th, hope to see you there.

We are having a post clean-up on Saturday, May 8th starting at 9:00AM, we could use some help so we can be ready for the Memorial Day weekend.

This year with the COVID restrictions still in place during the planning stages of Memorial Day the parade itself has been cancelled but we will still be doing the ceremony. The Ceremony will start at 11:00 and we request that you be there about 10:30. Since the ceremony did not happen last year, we still want to honor our WWII veterans so we will have a WWII veteran speaker. This year’s Ceremony is Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Gulf War so we will also have a guest speaker from the Gulf War. We still need to follow COVID restrictions but we think we can have a safe event while honoring our fallen veterans. We have two big restrictions this year, one is you will have to bring your own chair and you must be 6 feet away from the other people because the bleachers will not be available. The second is there will not be any portable bathrooms available because of the restrictions. Water will also not be available like in the past. The American Legion Post 281 will be hosting a breakfast for everyone interested starting at 8:00 AM.

We will also be providing our traditional cookout at the Post about 1:00 after the Ceremony at the Oakwood Cemetery on Memorial Day and we ask for people to bring a side dish. There is a sign-up list in the canteen to see what other people are bringing.

The Saturday before Memorial Day, May 29th we will be putting the flags on the graves of all the veterans at Chestnut Cemetery starting at 9:00AM and we can always use as many volunteers as we can get to help. Last year was awesome so we hope to get at least that many. Putting the flag up usually takes 2 to 3 hours and is so worth it. The cemetery looks great but the feeling of honoring the veterans that have gone before us has no words. We will then be taking the flags off the graves the following Saturday, June 5th at 9:00 so we could some help. Then after that we can make it back to the Post for the 12:00 Cruise-in that starts at 12:00.  

Have a great day,  Bernie

From the Auxiliary

The flowers are in bloom and the Auxiliary is blossoming into a new leadership team. More on that and other great news below.

At our April meeting the Auxiliary voted to donate $25 to the VFW National Home. Located in Eaton Rapids, MI, the community has 42 houses that are used to provide homes for veterans in need and their families. The National Home was founded in 1925 as a place where the families left behind by war — mothers and children, brothers and sisters — could remain together, keeping the family circle intact even when their serviceman didn’t come home. If you would like more information, you can check out their website at https://www.vfwnationalhome.org/.

Thank you again to all of you who brought in your receipts from Acme! This year due to the pandemic closures we received approximately half the number of receipts we did the year before. However, they were great receipts because we still received $90.62 from Acme that has gone into our general fund. We appreciate your participation and will notify you later this year when we can begin accepting receipts again.

The Auxiliary is growing! At the April meeting we voted in two new members who happened to be in the Canteen that same evening, so we brought them into the meeting to initiate them, along with another new member. Please take a moment to welcome Cathy Honsaker, Flo Firth, and Dan Firth!

Speaking of new members, at last month’s meeting we held our annual elections and we have our standard bearers and a few new leaders stepping up to take on the challenges of the upcoming year. Below is the list of the elected officers. If you have a chance, please make sure to say congratulations the next time you see these members.

  • President – Stephanie Gobrogge
  • Sr Vice President – Kathy Kalbach
  • Jr Vice President – John Stanfield
  • Treasurer – Joyce Hickman
  • Chaplain – Sam Griffiths
  • 3-Year Trustee – David Golec
  • 2-Year Trustee – Ben Gobrogge
  • Guard – Cathy Honsaker
  • Conductress – Flo Firth
  • Patriotic Instructor – Heather Wade

Our 1-Year Trustee, Mary Munn, will be completing her three year term this coming year and our president-elect has asked David Golec to serve as the Auxiliary secretary.

As we wrap up the 2020-2021 Auxiliary year we invite all active members to join us at our meeting on Monday, May 17, 2021 at 7:00pm. Our meetings are typically held in the Hall at the Post but we have had to meet in other locations, including online, over the past year. If you are planning to attend any meeting, please check our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/vfwaux1062, for updates or call the Canteen at 330.929.9494 to check the meeting location. We wish you all a happy spring!