MARCH NEWSLETTER Page 1
Commander s Corner Spring has sprung in Kansas City, and our Post is poised for a season of rebirth and vitality. March is the month when we renew many activities that were dormant during the winter months, including our Saturday morning breakfasts. With more predictable access to our building, we will welcome veterans, their families and members of the community once again from 8-10 am every week beginning March 4. This fellowship opportunity gives us a chance to solve issues around a communal table, and that type of collaboration and spirit is needed very badly in today s world. I can t wait to see you there. March is also the month when our Auxiliary hosts one of the year s best events: the annual Feast of St. Patrick. On March 17 th from 4:30 to 7 pm., the Post will come alive with Irish music, the happy noise of families enjoying a traditional Irish feast and spirit of comradeship. As an organization, we owe a lot to the Irish as a fighting force and as a community. Since the Civil War, Soldiers of Irish descent have served with distinction. Here in Kansas City, Irish immigrants built the railroads that connected our country. Many stayed here in our city to take on transportation and manufacturing jobs. Our Irish Culture Center in the heart of downtown is one of the more active venues of its kind in our country. I am grateful to Cheryl, Randy, Jodi, Lorie, Judith, Sharon, and the Auxiliary team for leading this great event. Our Post is also doing a lot of other work in the community this month. We will host Eagle Scout ceremonies, support other youth groups and church organizations and provide support to veterans groups. Among the ways we support these activities are unique fund raisers, and the ongoing raffle for two Henry Repeating Tribute Rifles is really cool. There are only 200 tickets available with two opportunities to win these beautiful pieces. Please consider purchasing a ticket or two the next time you re on Post. Our March meeting has been moved to the final Thursday of the month: the 30 th of March. At this meeting, our nominating committee will discuss the slate of officers on whom we will vote in April. Our post is home to some amazing talent, and we are eager to bring some of this talent to the leadership pipeline in our organization. If you want to help guide a great organization, contact Jeff Fox or Rick Butler. Spring is all about hope and potential. We have a lot of both in our Post, and that hope is justified. We are a great Post doing some innovative and interesting work. It s going to be a great year. Bob Bennett, Commander - 2016-2017 Post Officers - Commander Robert Bennett 816-298-0852 Judge Advocate Larry Maher 816-587-2213 Sr. Vice Commander Jeff Fox 816-584-2688 Chaplain John Bugg 816-741-8359 Jr. Vice Commander Tara K. Arteaga 816-726-7777 Surgeon Mike Vogt 816-522-5944 Quartermaster Robert Eckerle 816-741-8766 3-year Trustee Jerry Felker 816-587-8026 Adjutant Tara K. Arteaga 816-726-7777 2-year Trustee John Hoffman 816-728-6760 Post PSO Philip Duncan 816-587-1117 1-year Trustee Rick Butler 816-739-0693 Page 2
The Gardens Come on out and spend time with our veterans who can t join us at our post. This month, we re meeting on March 13th at 6 pm. The Gardens at Barry Road is located at 8300 NW Barry Rd, Kansas City, MO 64153 Check your email for a reminder! Spread the word! Breakfast has begun! Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. we will serve our traditional breakfast at a new low price of $6 for adults and FREE for children 10 and under. Please advertise at your churches, local businesses, with friends. Let s pack the house! Flyer attached to the newsletter for easy distribution. Want to help sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4da8af2 BA13-breakfast The VFW knows how important community service is to America, with volunteerism benefiting education, the environment, health sciences and civic projects. That's why VFW members volunteer nearly 9 million hours to community service projects annually. Are you a member of the post who has an idea for a local community service project? Come to our next meeting on January 26th at 7 p.m. to share it with us. We d love to make an even greater impact on our community! Need help with VA Claims? Veteran Service Information Officer Philip Duncan is available to assist any veteran with VA claims. Order your VFW Uniform Cap today! To place your order today, go to http://www.vfwstore.org/category/vfw/uniformcapandnametags or call 1-800-821-2606.VFW Post Quartermaster Bob Eckerle also has some sizes available. See below. Currently in stock at the Post, are sizes : 7 = 4 each, 7 1/8 = 2 each, 7 3/8 = 1 each, 7 ½ = 1 each, 7 5/8 = 5 each, 7 ¾ = 3 each, and 7 7/8 = 3 each Page 3
VFW Honor Guard Our Post is developing a Funeral Honor Guard. If you are interested, please reply to the Quartermaster at vfwpost7356@kc.rr.com, question will be answered to the best of our ability. Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, is a program that allows eligible college and grades K-12 students in U.S. military families to connect to a live tutor online at any time for one-to-one help with homework, studying, test prep, proofreading and more. The service is available at no charge to all grades K-12 students and service members regardless of whether the service member is serving full-time or part-time plus some adult dependents in Active Duty, National Two VFW Post 7356 members were featured in VFW National Headquarters Facebook advertisement. Congratulate Comrade Jim Young and Comrade Marco De Rosa when you see them! I need your HELP!!! If you know of any of the comrades listed below, kindly send me an email to vfwpost7356@kc.rr.com and provide me with their information. As you see several came to us from Post 4050 when we did our merge and there were no records found at Post 4050 regarding membership. List of Members: Frederick L. Baehner, Michael S. Baker (4050), Salvatore Biancavilla, Roger L. Bleich, Terry L. Buckler, Carey L. Dickerson, James J. Duyck (4050), George F. Griffith (4050), Korry Helmick, Bernard K. Hill, Dave E. Hudson (4050), Harold L. Kingman, Dan K. Kirk, Edward A. Maidment, Brian Rutherford, John W. Schillingsburg, James D. Southwell, Lorren R. Taylor, Kevin D. Tinnin, Richard N. Ward, Troy R. Yates (4050) Page 4
Auxiliary Members, South Platte Memorial Post 7356 Auxiliary Spring will be here soon. Many auxiliary events are also coming up quickly. The post has started serving breakfast again. The post needs our support by coming to eat each week. The hours are from 8 to 10 am. The price currently is $6 for adults. Please support them. There are also times when they need help. I would like to see the auxiliary be able to have a table at each breakfast to give out auxiliary information and recruit new members. Please let me know if you are interested in this. St. Patrick s Day dinner is our next big event. Sharon Bugg and Betty Gianessi are cooking. We need other help. We need members to serve food, clear tables, greet guests and to clean up. Set up will be Friday, March 17 th, at 1 pm. We need to decorate the tables and set up the serving table. We will serve from 4:30 to 7 pm. Please let me know if you are available to help and when. The monthly meeting has been moved to Thursday, March 30 th, due to spring break at the schools. This is an important meeting as the auxiliary is going to elect district convention delegates. We are also forming a nominating committee to find officers for next year. The offices of President, Senior vice-president, Junior vice-president, Treasurer, Chaplain, Guard, Conductress and 3 year trustee are up for election. Secretary and Patriotic Instructor are appointed positions. If you are interested in being on the nominating committee please let me know. Auxiliary Officers, Department and National Convention Delegates will be elected at the April meeting. April 8 th is the banquet to recognize the Voice of Democracy, Patriot s Pen, Patriotic Art and Teacher of the Year Winners at the Post level. Please put the date on your calendar. You will be able to meet our winners, hear their winning speeches and essays and see the winning artwork. We are waiting for notice that Pathfinder Elementary School has received the Buddy Bench the auxiliary purchased for their playground. We plan to have a dedication ceremony when it is received. More details will be made available when plans are completed. The method of paying dues and getting membership cards will be different starting 7/1/17. You will be able to pay online and your membership card will be mailed directly from National Auxiliary Headquarters. We are waiting for more information on how this will work and will share the information with you when it is received. Thanks for all that you do for our Veterans and active duty military. Have a Happy Easter. Cheryl Hainkel, President Eligibility for the VFW Auxiliary has expanded! There are now up to 12 people who may join our organization on the eligibility of 1 veteran! Page 5
Auxiliary Information The Auxiliary is hosting its Annual St. Patrick s Day Dinner on Friday, March 17 th, from 4:30 to 7 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 5 to 10 and free for children under 5. This traditional dinner of corned beef and cabbage, carrots, Irish potatoes, rye bread, and dessert is considered to be the best in town by many of our guests. Tickets will be available during breakfast at the post on Saturday, March 4, and Saturday, March 11. You may also call Cheryl Hainkel at 816-806- 2796 to have tickets held for you. Tickets will be available at the door. The auxiliary encourages you to get your tickets soon. We ran out of food last year, so plan ahead and come early for good food and fellowship. Child Care During Meetings! The Auxiliary wants all Veterans and Auxiliary Members with small children to know that we are offering child care during meetings. If you are interested in bringing your child, please email the Auxiliary at southplattevfwla@gmail.com. Please give your name, the first name of your child, age of your child, any special needs and a contact phone number. Auxiliary Officers 2016-2017 President: Cheryl Hainkel 806-2796 or Otterhalf@msn.com Senior-vice: Randy Green 663-2236 or randygreen0628@yahoo.com Junior Vice: Jodi Kersten 913-638-7734 or kerstenjodi@att.net Secretary: Lorie Green 816-663-2194 or lgreen_59@yahoo.com Treasurer: Judith Green 741-9489 or hwkeye@kc.rr.com Conductress: Jessica Grogan 739-2781 or gothicfary84@yahoo.com Chaplain: Rosemary Karp 587-5313 or rosemrykarp@gmail.com Guard: Mary Lou Wilkinson 769-1157 Or mwilk6378@yahoo.com 3 Year Trustee: Linda Eckerle 741-8766 or lindae8110@aol.com 2 Year Trustee: Ricki Butler 256-0728 or rickibutler17@gmail.com 1 Year Trustee: Sharon Bugg 741-8359 or sycbugg@kc.rr.com Patriotic Instructor Victoria Messick 824-4127 Or Torisphotos_85@hotmail.com Historian Crystal Deshazer 520-3858 Or crysdesh@yahoo.com Page 6
South Platte Memorial Post 7356 P.O. Box 12121 10125 Tom Watson Parkway Parkville, MO 64152 816-746-8010 http://myvfw.org/mo/post7356/ We now have Follow VFWPOST7356 for updates! https://www.facebook.com/parkvillevfw7356 Wireless Internet is available at Post WPA sign-in: post7356vfw Calendar March 2017 2 Groundhog Day 14 Valentine s Day 17 St. Patrick's Day Dinner 20 President s Day 30 VFW Meeting Every Monday Night Civil Air Patrol 7-9 p.m. April 2017 1 April Fool s Day 5 Gold Star Wives Day 9 Palm Sunday 14 Good Friday 14 Air Force Reserve Birthday 16 Easter Sunday 22 Earth Day 23 VFW Meeting 23 Army Reserve Birthday Page 7
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