5 th District General Membership Meeting February 10, Post 250

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1 Commander Troy Horsley Vice Commander Ernie Florig Vice Commander Lena Heredia- Perez Adjutant Tom Gora Assistant Adjutant Sheri Rodriguez th District General Membership Meeting February 10, Post 250 The meeting was called to order by Commander Troy Horsley at 1400 hours. Opening ceremonies were conducted. Roll Call of Posts: 14 Posts represented with 12 Commanders present. Total members signed in: 32. Assistant Adjutant Rodriguez reported to Commander Horsley that there was a quorum. Minutes Commander Horsley stated that minutes from the January 13, th District Meeting at Post 401 are posted on the District s website. Motion to suspend the reading of the minutes and to approve the minutes as posted online was made, seconded, and approved unanimously. Recognition of Guests & Presentations Jennifer Riley and Susan Stafford, Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. (FTRI) FTRI is offering free cellular or landline phones to hearing impaired veterans. They are willing to set up tables at Posts to conduct certifications and distribute equipment. There is no change in service provider and veterans must be legal citizens of Florida. Dexter Turner, emdnow emdnow is provides telemedicine via computer and tablets but also has a physically location in Jacksonville for times when patients must see a doctor. Telemedicine saves time and costs $39 for veterans and $59 for the veteran s family members. They have an arrangement with Quest Diagnostics for tests. emdnow is willing to present their services at local posts. Dick Rowe, Post 250 Commander Commander Rowe welcomed members to Post 250 and reminded everyone that tickets are still available for the 100 th Anniversary Ball on March 9, Tickets are $40/couple or $25/single. He noted that lunch will be available immediately after the meeting. Introduction & Recognition of District, Department, and National Officers (Past & Present) 5 th District Officers: Vice Commanders Ernie Florig and Lena Heredia-Perez, Adjutant Tom Gora, Assistant Adjutant Sheri Rodriguez, Finance Officer Samuel Heredia-Perez, Chaplain Brian Hancher, Historian Scott Pageau, Sergeant-at-Arms Walter Rasco, and Service Officer Edgardo Silva.

2 2 P a g e Distinguished Guests: Sons of the American Legion National Committeeman Alternate Bill Kelly, Department Oratorical Chair Meri West, Department of Florida FHP Cadet Academy Chair/Department Post Redevelopment Chair/Past Department of Florida 3rd Vice Commander Bob Brewster, Department of Florida Legion College and Public Relations Chair Tom Gora, Department of Florida Sergeant-at-Arms Jeff Durden, and Past National Commander Clarence Hill. Committee Reports Finance Officer Samuel Heredia-Perez: The Finance Report is attached. As of February 9, 2019: Checking Account...$7, Savings Account... 2, CD Account th District American Legion Riders... $ Motion to approve the Finance Report, subject to Audit, was made, seconded, and approved unanimously. Comrade Dukes (Baseball): Registration is now open online on the Department website. Vice Commander Florig (Membership): The Department is currently at 86.5% and the 5 th District is in 10 th place among the 16 Districts with 84.7%. He noted that the 5 th District submitted 581 cards since the last District Meeting. Vice Commander Florig recognized the following Posts for meeting or exceeding 90%: Post % Post % Post % Post % Post % Post % Vice Commander Florig recognized the following Posts for the number of cards submitted: Post ,000 cards Post cards Post cards Post cards Vice Commander Florig reported that the two-day Membership Revitalization scheduled for February has been postponed until April. Instead, the District s focus will be on the National Commander s Buddy Check week during March 11-18, Anyone wishing a copy of the four-page Buddy Check toolkit should contact Vice Commander Florig. He added that compared to membership numbers from this time last year, nationwide renewals are down 72,000. Personal contact is key so Posts must not use to contact their members or the Post 400 list for this program. Because Buddy Check is a Health and Welfare check, Legion Programs should be highlighted and not the canteen or membership dues during these phone calls. Anyone needing a copy of a DD-214 to verify eligibility should use archives.gov. It was noted that Paid-Up-for-Life members can lose their PUFL status if they do not have a valid and current address on record with The American Legion. When Posts receive their PUFL payment it is advised that the list be compared to the Post roster to ensure that Posts are getting paid for all members. Once PUFL status is lost due to a bad address, it is assumed that the member has passed away and payment to Posts ceases.

3 3 P a g e Vice Commander Florig (Boys State): Boys State is the largest program supported by the 5 th District. With 14 out of 18 Posts participating with a total of 55 delegates, the District made a $28,600 investment. Posts should be distributing packets to parents, delegates, and alternates and they need to be completed by March 15, Vice Commander Heredia-Perez noted that one of the contestants at the 5 th District Oratorical Competition participated in Boys State last year and could not stop talking about the program. Transportation fees are due now. The fee is $70/delegate and only 4 out of the participating posts have paid. Checks should be mailed to Ernie Florig, 678 7th Ave. S., Jacksonville Beach, FL Vice Commander Heredia-Perez (5th District Picnic): The picnic is on March 16, 2019 at Post 283 and begins at 9:00am with children s events. She noted that events for children include a petting zoo, fishing, games, and crafts for children. There will also be two bands. Transportation from the Beaches will be available. She added that raffle tickets are still available. Flyers are available for advertising. Comrade Silva (5 th District Service Officer): Service Officer Silva announced that the VA has revamped their appeals process and that there are no more regular appeals. Instead, there are (1) Supplemental Claims, (2) Higher Level Reviews, and (3) Direct Appeals. He noted that the goal is to speed up the appeal process. He added that anyone having difficulty obtaining a copy of a DD-214 should contact him and he will send a congressional. He reported that there will be a VA Clinic opening on College Drive in 2020 after the existing building is retrofitted. Comrade Silva reported that there is an Army veteran in Ocala with only months to live and the local VFW will not help him with a Shadow Box. He asked that Posts willing to help contact him for more information. Comrade Silva noted that he is considering running for office because Congressman Ted Yoho will not be running for reelection in 2020 because he believes in term limits. Comrade Brewster (Youth Law Cadet): There is a new Lieutenant in the program and applications are due now. Commander West (Oratorical): The 5 th District competition was held at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 12:00pm. There were three competitors. Post 250 had two viable candidates, so they shared one with Post 373. She noted that Legion participation was poor and that we need to do a better job supporting our Programs. The Northern Area competition will be held at the same location on February 23, 2019 at 12:00pm. Adjutant Tom Gora stated that we have been hosting our District Oratorical competitions for a couple years now at no charge at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum. He suggested that we make a small donation as a token of our appreciation. Motion to donate $150 to the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum was made, seconded, and passed unanimously. Comrade Rasco (Sons of the American Legion): Posts 316, 372, 373, and 401 were recognized for meeting or exceeding 90%. He added that Post 194 needs one more membership to reach 100%. Comrade Reaves (School Medals): Posts should begin working with school counselors in February. Comrade Havekost (Social Media): The District website has been visited by over 2,795 users who have viewed over 5,618 pages of information. The District Facebook Page has 610 likes with 580 followers. Posts within the 5 th District use this page to share information about their events. The Facebook Group has 205 members and is used for bulletins and information about District Meetings.

4 4 P a g e Comrade Havekost noted that is Posts do not have a Social Media Chair, they should assign one as soon as possible. He added that there will be Social Media training at the next District Training. Post and Program Reports Written reports were received from Posts: 9, 54, 129, 137,194, 197, 202, 233, 250, 283, 372, 373, and 401. Programs: Boys State, Disaster Preparedness, Membership, and Social Media. Unfinished Business There was no unfinished business. New Business Commander Horsley shared the following information: Posts should be collecting data and starting their Consolidated Post Reports (CPR). The National Commander s had a fantastic time during his visit to the 5 th District. The American Legion Rider s Summit was successful. Department of Florida Sergeant-at-Arms reported that there was a lot of training sessions and riders from Alabama were in attendance. All Posts must included whether or not they have submitted their 990 in their next Post report. Nominations for Eagle Scout of the Year and JROTC Cadet of the Year are due March 1, Legion College Chair Tom Gora congratulated the following 2019 Legion College graduates from the 5 th District: Donna Rosales Walter Rasco Sheri Rodriguez Cassandra Smalls Wanda Brandt (ALA) Chair Gora thanked Past National Commander Clarence Hill for serving as an instructor for the College. He noted that the 2019 class had the rare opportunity to read, edit, and make suggestions to the forthcoming Resolution proposing Legion membership for the spouses of women veterans. This proposed program would allow spouses who are ineligible for the Sons of the American Legion and The American Legion to become members of the Legion. The class suggested a clause that would make anyone eligible for this new program automatically eligible for membership in The American Legion Riders. 5 th District Chaplain Hancher thanked Commander Alan Painter from Post 372 for hosting The Four Chaplains Ceremony on February 3, He also thanked Post 137 member Jim Steele who served as bugler. Correspondence Past National Commander Clarence Hill shared the recommendation by the Veterans Council of Duval County for the proposed Arena Sponsorship by Vystar. For the Good of the Legion Sons of the American Legion NECA Bill Kelly reported that The American Legion s Annual Washington, DC Conference that gives The National Commander the opportunity to meet with elected officials to discuss legislative initiatives and priorities is February 21 through March 1, He asked that everyone contact their State Representative and Senators to ask them to support The American Legion s agenda. The next 5th District Meeting will be held on March 10, 2019 at Post 194 at 1400.

5 5 P a g e There being no further business to come before the membership, the Meeting was closed in due form by Commander Troy Horsley at 3:36pm. Respectfully submitted, Sheri Rodriguez Assistant Adjutant 5th District Department of Florida Approved: Troy Horsley Commander, 5th District Department of Florida