Volume 86, Issue 5 MAY 2015 DAVID A. GRIFFITH, COMMANDER 803-359-1278 e-mail: [email protected] LINDA M. GRIFFITH, AUXILIARY PRESIDENT WEB: http://sclegionpost7.org 1 8:30 AM-5 PM Remembering Our Fallen Exhibit in Lexington County Administration Building (page 5) (last day to see it—here for 2 wks) 2 11 AM—Auxiliary Meeting 12 PM—Legion Meeting/Luncheon NOTE CHANGE IN TIME ABOVE 9 10 AM—3 PM Dang-It Doll Workshop (Cayce Masonic Lodge-12th Street) 10 Mother’s Day 11 Confederate Memorial Day (County Offices Closed) 13 Honor Flight 16 Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Celebration (see flyer on page 8 of this newsletter) 25 Memorial Day (County Offices Closed) 10 AM Caughman-Harman Funeral Home Program (see page 5 for details) (Poppy Distribution-Food Lion near Kmart, Lexington, and ACE Hardware on Emmanual Church Road) 29-31 Department Legion and Auxiliary Conventions in downtown Columbia Marriott on Main Street. (Contact Commander or Auxiliary President if you would like to attend. Registration will be paid for you!) MARK YOUR CALENDAR June — July —-PLEASE SUPPORT OUR BASEBALL TEAM — SCHEDULE WILL BE E-MAILED AND IN NEXT NEWSLETTER…. June 13 Legion and Auxiliary meetings at NOON July 11 Legion and Auxiliary meetings TIME TBA (Girls and Boys State participants) August 1 Legion and Auxiliary meetings TIME TBA (Baseball Team members) 803-359-1278 e-mail: [email protected] MEMBERSHIP AT LAST MEETING VOTED TO CONTINUE WITH NOON TIME MEETING MEAL…..July and August times TBA? Greetings fellow Legionnaires... our April meeting was to be our last of our noon meetings for the spring, but the membership voted to continue with noon meetings for another month. We have several things coming up this month. Our meeting on the 2nd is to be a planning and assignment session for the upcoming Yard Sale on the 16th. We are planning to have a Flag Disposal Ceremony that day also if we can work it out. We also have Legion and Auxiliary conventions at the end of the month in Columbia. And last but not least Baseball is starting on May 26 — a very busy month. I need by our meeting all of those members who wish to attend the convention. The Post will pay for the registration. We need at least 8 to fill out our voting allotment. The luncheon is optional and you must pay for that at $25 per person. We will be needing lots of help at the ball park this year so please let Steve, Wayne, Doug or myself that you will help. We are working on playing 3 games this year at the new ball park. We have dates. Now, we are just trying to work out the schedule. I do not like asking for money but our insurance is coming due and it is over $3,000,. The Auxiliary has given $1,000 toward the bill and if the yard sale is a success it can go along way toward paying that cost. We need a big turnout for our May meeting so please call and let us know you are coming. We have a POD for storage of your treasures you are willing to give up for the Yard Sale. So if you can’t keep your stuff till drop-off time (see page 4), we can store it. Please let us know if you need us to pickup items from your house or even a friend’s house. Remember what you give is a tax deductable and helps our Post and Auxiliary support the many programs we do for our veterans. For God and Country, David A. Griffith Commander 1 Legionnaire Contacts: (PO Box 421, Lexington, SC 29071) Commander David A. Griffith (h. 359-1278 c. 587-9876) e-mail: [email protected] Vice Commander Ernie Hall (h. 359-2941 c. 600-0927) e-mail: [email protected] Adjutant David Davis (h. 358-0187 c. 767-3872) e-mail: [email protected] Finance Officer Fred Sons (h. 359-4882 c. 260-3093) (No e-mail) Auxiliary Contacts: (PO Box 1802, Lexington, SC 29071) President Linda Griffith (359-1278 h 920-3975 c e-mail: [email protected]) Sr. V-P Barbara Leaphart (520-6206 h 609-6659 c (No e-mail) Secretary Nila Ballentine (356-2272 h 760-3457 c e-mail: [email protected]) Treasurer Linda Roemer (520-6529 h 610-781-6454 c e-mail: [email protected]) Dear Ladies of Unit 7 Auxiliary…. UNIT 7 DUES ARE $30. Be sure to mail them to Treasurer Linda Roemer for Unit 7/American Legion Auxiliary, PO Box 1802, Lexington, SC 29071. I T’ S T I M E T O V O T E FOR YOUR NEW L E A D E R S F O R 2015-2016! (PLEASE COME TO THE MAY 2ND MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION AND/OR MAKE IT KNOWN THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SERVE AS AN OFFICER. I’ve been told the Nominating Committee has put together a slate for consideration.) April Meeting Highlights: • • • • • • • • • • Attendance — 8 members present. Thank you to Nila Ballentine for filling in as our Chaplain today. We welcomed Past Department President and Unit President Dot Tunstall back who has been traveling the USA! Minutes — Approved as submitted by Nila for March. Treasurer’s Report — Linda Roemer indicated that it was time for another audit as we would soon be turning the books over to a new leadership. She will coordinate with Patsy Horton and President Griffith. Veteran/Military Support & Advocacy — Barbara Leaphart indicated that we would distribute Poppies on May 23rd at the Food Lion located on West Main Street near Kmart and the ACE Hardware in Three Fountains. Girls State participants will assist. All members were asked to assist. Call Barbara for a schedule of times. 1-2 hour shifts are recommended. Youth Development — Doris Reynolds, Marge Carter, Willie Wingard, and Dot Tunstall interviewed lots of candidates for Girls State on March 19 at Lexington, River Bluff, White Knoll, and Pelion. WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF FUNDS TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS TO SEND DELEGATES! Please call Doris with any amount you’d like to donate to help support these girls. Some of the girls will also be helping out with the Yard Sale next month. Family Support Programs—Mary continues to send cards. Great job filling in for Jeanne Crone during her absence. Please call Mary if you know of someone who might need a ’little sunshine’ and she’ll be happy to send a card wishing them well! Membership Development-- If you have paid your dues and have not received your membership card, please contact Barbara Leaphart. We have 90 members paid with some 8 outstanding. $50 was donated to the Auxiliary Emergency Fund at the recent District meeting with a charge to other units. Constitution & Bylaws — Jean presented a document for review and members were asked to take it home for review and comments at our May meeting. Hopefully, Jean will be available to discuss her suggestions and make any changes necessary before a vote is done. Members were asked to call Jean if they had any questions, concerns, and/or suggestions. Unfinished business—Thanks to all who came and helped out with the recent District Meeting at Post 7 on March 21st. Nila indicated that she’d be in touch with Stanley lady to pick up some outstanding orders. Members were given Yard Sale flyers to distribute and post everywhere they can. A sign-up sheet with times to help out will be available at the next meeting. Mary and Doris indicated that they would be available at the Hut to take ’stuff’ in on Wednesday, May 13 from 9 to 2. Still available is: Thursday, May 14 from 9-2 and Friday May 15 from 9 to 3. WE WILL STILL NEED TO BE AVAILABLE SATURDAY from 7:30 till about 2/3. New Business—The nominating committee will consist of Mary Hazelton (Chr), Dot Tunstall, and Nila Ballentine. Call them if you are interested in serving; otherwise, they might call YOU! A MOTION WAS MADE BY Nile and seconded by Dot to donate $1,000 to the Legion to help pay their $3,000 insurance bill. 2 Fifth and final in the series of the five Auxiliary PODS The Family Support Programs POD consists of the following: Americanism — Jean Testruth and Patsy Horton; Education — Barbara Leaphart and Doris Reynolds; Community Service — Betty Mathias and Evelyn Moss; and Chaplain/Sunshine with Carolyn Mathias and Jeanne Crone. Evelyn Moss, Chair FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAMS AMERICANISM -- The Americanism Program seeks to inspire, recognize, and perpetuate responsible citizenship through education and acts of patriotism, and to promote and demonstrate American Legion Auxiliary Americanism in the community through leadership and support of our country and our military. It seeks to increase awareness and participation in youth activities that promote proper respect for our flag and loyalty to our country, and to show the community our pride in belonging to the world's largest patriotic women's organization--the American Legion Auxiliary. In our unit, we have taken brown paper grocery bags to ten of the thirteen local elementary schools to have students draw patriotic pictures and designs on them. The bags will then be given out at our May 16th yard sale. A flyer advertising the yard sale was also sent along to be posted in each school's teachers lounge. Girls State participants from last year will also help us with Poppy distribution helping to tell the story about the American Legion and what the poppy represents. EDUCATION -- The Education Program promotes the American Legion Auxiliary's role in providing quality education for children and adults through classroom activities, literacy programs, scholarship programs, and support of education beyond high school for veterans' and military members' children. It promotes respect for the sacrifices of military heroes by providing veterans to participate in classroom programs and promoting these events in local media, by wearing American Legion Auxiliary apparel when going into the schools and by providing transportation for the veterans to and from the schools, as well as providing relevant information to the teachers. We can also support American Legion scholarship opportunities at all levels and provide scholarship information and forms to local schools. We can award scholarships locally and publicize the winners, as well as building relationships with schools to promote "Give 10 for Education" and "American Education Week". We can also support veterans who are pursuing higher education or vocational education opportunities. The Girls State committee are working with local high school girls who took part in Girls State last year to assist with poppy distribution this year. We continue to collect soup labels and box tops for education although we no loner collect toilet paper/ paper towel rolls for art classes due to health reasons. COMMUNITY SERVICE -- American Legion Auxiliary strives to help all veterans, active duty military, and their families all over the world by working to develop at Unit and Department levels the criteria to implement and monitor all community services that can aid veterans, active duty military, and their families and provide a voice for their needs. We work to provide helpful information to veterans and military families while raising community awareness for our military. We work to raise funds to aid local veterans and military while making the community more aware of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary and all we do for our military. In addition, we try to raise community awareness of National Days of Service, such as Memorial Day in May, Flag Day in June, Patriot Day on 9/11, POW-MIA Day also in September, Veterans Day in November, and Pearl Harbor Day in December. Several ladies make lap quilts for the VA hospital and thirty or more have been delivered this year. We also continue to make and deliver pillows to the hospital and have made and delivered at least forty of them this year. Our unit continues to work in our individual service and social organizations to bring about peace and justice by sharing the story of the American Legion Auxiliary. Our yard sale will be a big community service project requiring a lot of volunteer hours by many workers. We also continue to collect magazines and books for the VA hospital and the local Veterans Retreat Center for homeless veterans. CHAPLAIN/SUNSHINE -- It is the belief of our organization that God should be at the helm and guide us in our work helping our veterans and their families, our community, and each other. We want to preserve our freedom to worship as we feel is right and to not take that right away from others. The chaplain shall support by word and actions our service to God and country and celebrate diversity between people and faiths. The chaplain shall provide emotional guidance when needed or requested, with dignity and respect for the occasion. She shall pray for members and leaders with appropriate nondenominational prayers and provide support and guidance through cards, e-mails, phone calls, and prayers to members during the year. She shall act as the spiritual ambassador for our organization and educate members on the diversity of all faiths and cultures. The chaplain shall provide invocations and benedictions at all official meetings, as well as memorial services for deceased members. Carolyn Mathias, our chaplain, and Jean Crone, our sunshine chair, have both had numerous health issues lately, so Marge Carter has been serving as chaplain and opening and closing our meetings with a prayer. Mary Hazelton has been sending numerous cards to unit members who are ill, injured, or in mourning. Barbara Leaphart serves as the Department of SC chaplain and also sends cards to members who need them, as I well know since having received cards from both Mary and Barbara while nursing my injured leg. 3 See page 7 to sign up to help us out! 4 5 If you know someone who would like to schedule the display, please contact Dan Williams, South Carolina Representative at dwilliams@Remembering OurFallen.org or 402-885-0061. More information is available at: www.RememberingOurFallen.org OR www.PatrioticProductions.org. Lexington, SC: A very emotional exhibit, “Remembering Our Fallen,” is a stark reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by 88 Fallen from South Carolina killed in The War on Terror while wearing our country's uniform in a war zone. The photo display, which includes military and personal photos of each of South Carolina's Fallen, will be leaving Lexington soon and going to Orangeburg. LAST FEW DAYS TO SEE IT. Please go see it. FALLEN” Photo Exhibit of South Carolina's Fallen on Display April 20-May 1, 2015 8 am - 5 pm Lobby County Administration Building “REMEMBERING OUR REMINDER: 2015 Palmetto Patriots’ Ball is scheduled for May 16th Honorees will be Clebe McClary, Fowler Cary, Jr., and Lou Fowler. Embassy Suites, Columbia. FUNDS USED TO SUPPORT BLUE STAR MOTHERS AND THEIR PROJECTS TO BENEFIT OUR VETERANS, ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY AND THEIR FAMILIES. Tickets are $60. For information and sponsorships: www.palmettopatriotball.org or call Jennifer (803.269.4411) or Ann (803.206.6088). 6 SIGN-UP SHEET TO HELP OUT AT THE YARD SALE We will need a lot of folks so help us out so we’ll know who will be where and when. Please.. TIMES NEEDED: Set-up Monday, May 11 2 pm — 3 pm __________________ Sort Items to tables Tuesday, May 12 1 pm — 4 pm __________________ Take Items In Wednesday, May 13 9 am — 2 pm __________________ Thursday, May 14 9 am — 2 pm __________________ Friday, May 15 9 am — 3 pm __________________ Saturday, May 16 7:30 am—3 pm __________________ Sale & Clean-up Check all that apply to you. If you can only work 1 or 2 hours at a time, be sure to scratch through the time above and write YOUR TIME in. PLEASE LET US KNOW WE CAN COUNT ON YOU! Please call, e-mail, or mail to Commander Griffith (359-1278 h, 587-9876 c; 3963 Brutus Pass, West Columbia, SC 29170; or [email protected]) NAME: _________________________________________ PHONE NUMBER: _______________________ (If you have other family members who are willing to help out, list their names on this sheet.) ___________________________________; _________________________________; ______________________________ The receipt below is provided to you to use for your personal donations and/or to give to someone else who would like to make a donation. Thank you. The American Legion Post 7 211 Harmon Street, Lexington, SC 29072 Donation Receipt Thank you for your contribution/donation to the American Legion Post 7 Yard Sale. Funds raised from this sale will be used to support our many veteran projects. Items left over from this yard sale will be donated back to our community through several service organizations including but not limited to LICS (Lexington Interfaith Commnity Services), Angels House (a home for female veterans), The Central Midlands Transitional Retreat for homeless veterans located behind the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. We will not be issuing receipts for items donated and/or purchased; however, you may take this sheet and list any items you wish for tax purposes. Please use the back if additional space is needed. Our Post and Unit are both 501C charity organizations. Thank you for your support for our veterans. Visit our website for more information about the American Legion/American Legion Auxiliary and the many programs we sponsor and/or rental of our building. (http://www.sclegionpost7.org) Linda Griffith, Chair American Legion Post 7 American Legion Auxiliary Uniy 7 Yard Sale Committee Month/Year: _____ 2015 TOTAL Goods Value: ________________ List of Items Donated (Please use back, if needed) Item How many Estimated Value _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 REMINDER NOTICE TO ALL THE AUXILIARY IS NO LONGER TAKING THE FOLLOWING DONATIONS Magazines more than 3 months old and paper towel/toilet paper rolls Coupons WITH LESS THAN 6 MONTH expiration date REASON: VA no longer desires older magazines Schools have new guidelines in place due to health issues Commissary has changed its policy on call coupons THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT WITH THESE DONATIONS IN THE PAST….WE APPRECIATE IT. PLEASE CONTINUE TO SAVE THE SOUP LABEL COUPONS AND BOX TOPS 8 May 2015 KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS AND A REMINDER TO SEND CARDS The family of Frances D. Price, wife of Legionnaire D. Murray Price, who passed away on April 14th. Please send Murray a card. Birthdays and Anniversaries 1 - Harry & Myra Wolfe 4 - John & Sissy Frierson Curtis E. Morton Edward & Patricia Salkind 5 - Patsy Horton 6 - Agnes B. Corley 7 - Levi C. Singley Carol O. Taylor 8 - Sarah Futrell 10 - Kathy Schreiber 12 - Paul R Kerr 13 - Bruce W. Cunniff Donald E. Ellisor 14 - John C. Nowakoski 16 - John C. Adams Barbara Brown Ruth S. Koon 18 - Steve & Margaret Barfield Robert E. Cook, Jr. Elizabeth Maynard 21 - Mike & Linda Brown Myra Wolfe 22 - William H. Lee 23 - Paul & Kay Kerr 24 - Ernie & Carolyn Hall Richard & Linda Kerr 25 - Clarence Richardson Alice Richardson Delores J. Rucker 26 - Terry Atwater Sydney M. Griffith (Junior) Robert W. Herring, III 28 - E.B. & Ann Purcell 29 - Edwin & Prissy Morehead 30 - Albert & Sarah Futrell Kurt Gerstenberger Bethany Roemer (Junior) Jeanne Crone is home and is continuing to recuperate. Send her a card. She hopes to resume some activity soon. Amy Davis, niece of Mary Hazelton, had one of her kidneys removed recently. She is now at home resuming normal activity. Please send her a card at her home in Mt. Pleasant. Ethel Davis, sister-in-law to Mary Hazelton who is home now, who had a pace maker put in during April. Please send Ethel a card at home. She is one of our former Unit 7 presidents. Betty Mathias has been under the weather and continues to work on therapy from her surgery earlier this year. Carolyn Mathias is back and forth from hospital with cancer. Please remember her often in your thoughts and prayers and, I am sure, a card would certainly cheer her! Bill and Edith Masters are in an advanced care facility in assisted living. Neither are doing well. Send cards to this address: PO Box 1305, Watkinsville, GA 30677-0027 Evelyn Moss continues to be homebound, so please remember her with a card from time to time. She has a wound that just will not seem to heal. Jean Testruth continues to have eye issues from her recent procedure, so keep her in your prayers and send her a card. Willie Wingard is at Still Hopes Rehab. You can send her a card at her home as her niece picks it up daily. IF WE’VE MISSED ANYONE, DID WE KNOW? PLEASE LET COMMANDER KNOW IF SOMEONE IS ILL. If your name and/or your spouse’s name has been omitted, please let us know. Also, since so many of our WWII veterans are getting up in age, please let us know if you have turned 90 yet as we would certainly want to make sure you are recognized. 9 MAY 2015 HOPE TO SEE YOU ON May 2nd FOR ANOTHER NOONTIME LUNCH/MEETING! MEMBERSHP PRESENT VOTED TO CONTINUE WITH NOON MEETINGS. NEW POLICY -- Reservations Required YOU MUST CALL COMMANDER (359-1278) ON OR BEFORE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015 IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE LUNCH. $5.00 pp. See Commander’s report from October 2014. NOTE: IF ANYONE CAN HELP WITH POPPY DISTRIBUTION, PLEASE CALL BARBARA LEAPHART. SHE HAS THE SCHEDULE. 10
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