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Volume XXVI Issue IV THE POST Apr 09, 2026

Jr. Vice Commander’s Call

Our fundraising drives for this year are set. The dates for Memorial Day are set for May 15th and May 16th for the majority of stores. The Jewel on 159th and 94th Ave is scheduled for June 5th and 6th.

The November Fund Drive (Veteran’s Day) is set for Friday, November 6th and Saturday November 7th for the majority of stores. Only the Jewel at 128th and Harlem is set for October 30th and 31st, unable to get the November dates due to possible conflict with Salvation Army. I was informed they may be out in November with no set date. The stores with different dates are highlighted on the signup sheet.

Other dates to put on your calendar are Post Picnic, Saturday, September 5th. We will have it at the Post as we did last year. More information to follow next month.

The Christmas Party is set for Wednesday December 2nd. We may have a visit from Santa and his helpers. I will have the chimney greased so Santa can slide down without a problem. We will also need two men to man the shovels.

This year bring your Dancing Shoes. We will have live music by The Fabtones. If you have a favorite song from the 50’s, 60s, 70s, or 80s let me know and I will pass it on to them.

An update for those who would like to know the status of the parking lot light. It’s still not working. I am sure the Maintenance Department is waiting for the ground to thaw so if the buried cable must be replaced it will be easier to do. One good note, we now have hot water.

Respectfully,

Bob Reger, Junior Vice Commander

Senior Vice Commander’s Call

We have 137 members on our duty roster, 130 have paid. That is over 90%. Considering the membership challenges that face the Legion, as a whole, that is very good.

The 8th district to which we belong has a membership goal of 2,084. A total of 1,724 have paid so far. There are 18 posts in the 8th district. Just over 10 years ago the Evergreen Park post had over 1,000 members by themself. That goes to show how fast the Veteran population in the country is shrinking.

At the end of the day, we can only be accountable for ourselves. Over the past years Commander Chambers has endeavored to reward our members who contribute to the well-being of the post through our fundraisers by awarding members polo shirts, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and windbreakers amongst other things. I can tell you not too many posts, if any, do that. During these past few years, the Commander and I have discussed what else can be done to reward our members. It was recently passed that to lower in place the age year of 90 to 85 with 5 continuous years on the duty roster to be eligible for having your dues paid. I felt that you should not have to live to a ripe old age to have a deserved benefit as this. What about those who have given service for 30 years or more and joined in their 20's, 30's or 40's. We authorized that too. So, if you are 85 years old with 5 years of continuous in the post or if you have served for 30 years or more in the legion starting next year we are going to pay your dues also. In the overall scheme of things, it is a small price to pay for the loyalty and service some of our members have given.

As we know life is a very precious thing. Just a few months ago legionnaire Jerry Dubaka's son Ed suddenly passed. Now we know that legionnaire Ray McElree's son Shane, just tragically passed. There is no rhyme or reason to any of these occurrences. We offer our deepest sympathies to Ray for his sad loss. As a military organization it is our responsibility to be there for our members in their time of need. God bless and take care.

Take care and as always God bless,

Dean Morrell, Senior Vice Commander