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AUXILIARY PRESIDENT'S REPORT: Posted - 15 August 2009

AUXILIARY NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 2009

Hi! What a wonderful summer this has been! If you worship sun, heat, and humidity it may not have been your cup of tea but as a recent returnee from Southern California I consider our summer weather a true gift. I must confess though I took a peek at the Farmer's Almanac the other day and discovered the forecast for November and December this year is the same as last year, below normal temperatures. Grab every bit of warmth and sunshine you can!! It looks like we are in for another long winter.

Looking Ahead:
Auxiliary officers for 2009-2010 are:
President: Bonnie McJennett
Vice President: Jan Turnwald
Treasurer: Linda Wilber
Secretary: Jan Turnwald
Chaplain: Robin Bailey
Sgt-at-Arms: (we need a volunteer)
Historian: Michele Fontaine
Executive Board: Virginia Cattell
(we need 2 more volunteers)

Last year my symbol was the spider web. I used this symbol to remind us how community members, community organizations, and the Legion, SAL, and Auxiliary are intertwined. Our focus this year is more personal. My symbol this year is the heart and Auxiliary members are asked to look into their heart and remember why they joined the Auxiliary. For some it was to honor a loved one, to do volunteer work, to socialize, or to share an activity with a loved one. Whatever the reason for joining, focus on that reason and let petty annoyances fall by the wayside. We will also let the past guide the future. Charter Members will speak at a few meetings during the year. They will tell us about the early days of the Legion and Auxiliary; the fun, the frustrations, and how they managed to hold events with little or no money. Hopefully, from these stories we will learn how to laugh more together.

Committees:
The following is a list of our committee chairmans. Please remember these people have volunteered to head the committee but do not want to do all the activities by themselves. If you are interested in being part of a committee please call me at 517-592-3815.

Americanism: Carla Pohl
Banquet: Bonnie McJennett
Children and Youth: Bonnie McJennett
Constitution & Bylaws: Louise Phipps
Education: Carla Pohl
Girl's State: Carla Pohl
Grounds: Judy Stetten
Jr Activities: Robin Bailey
Leadership: Bonnie McJennett
Membership: Loretta Gestwite
Music: Robin Bailey
National Security: Jan Turnwald
Past President's Parley: Bonnie McJennett
Poppy: Loretta Gestwite
Public Relations: Judy Stetten
VA & R: Loretta Gestwite

We are looking for someone to train with Loretta to learn the “ins and outs” of the VA & R committee. Activities revolve around the Ann Arbor VA Hospital and some of the activities are: setting up Bingo for patients, buying items for the vet Christmas Shop along with organizing help, and delivering lap robes, hats, slippers, etc to the hospital. We also need someone to head the Bingo committee. Currently, Bingo workers are trying to “hold it together” but it is difficult without someone to coordinate help and supplies. Along with scheduling help and buying supplies, pop cans need to be redeemed and a monthly financial report is given at the regular meeting. Please call and volunteer!!!

Fundraiser:
The Auxiliary will hold a fundraiser at the Onsted Village Wide Yard Sale on September 12th. Jan Turnwald has coordinated with Swains for the Auxiliary to receive a percentage of the sales made from the Swain's truck parked on Main Street on the 12th. The public can either order early using order forms available at the Legion or they can buy from items available on the truck that day. Warning: if you want their ice cream, order early!! Everyone seems to love their ice cream and it quickly sells out.

Swiss Steak Dinners:
Swiss steak dinners will be held on October 16th and November 13th from 5-7 pm. The November dinner is in honor of our Veterans so Veterans eat for free. Menu and prices will be announced later. Please mark these dates on your calendar, either to attend or to help. Fifteen people are needed to put on a regular dinner but because of the number of people who attend the November dinner 20 people are needed. Please consider helping with the dinners. Please call and I will tell you the times we need people and the jobs that are available.

Meetings:
This Wednesday, the 19th , we have a meeting! We are asking members to arrive at 7, if possible, for social time before the meeting begins at 7:30. Our guests for the meeting are one of the Americanism essay winners and the girls who attended Girl's State. For our September 16th meeting we hope to have one of our Charter Members as a speaker.

Hope all is well,
Bonnie L McJennett
President

LEGION COMMANDER'S REPORT: Posted - 2 September 2009

I wish to apologize for the delay in keeping the newsletter items current; but as you all know, I have had my share of problems as of late. With the deaths and medical issues in my family, I have been more than a little busy. Thank you for understanding.

We had our election of officers and the results are as follows:

Commander: Mike McNally

1st. Vice Commander: Bruce Roback

2nd Vice Commander: Mike Howard

Finance Officer: Tom Cattell

Sergeant at Arms: George Cousino

Service Officer: Paul Bishop

Adjutant: Glenn McJennett

Historian: Daryl Onsted

Chaplain: Frank Bolak

I am sure this slate of officers will do a fine job for Post 550 in the coming year.

As usual we have started working on the Memorial Day Parade. Paper work has been submitted already with no word back yet. This is usual at this stage of the game.

For those of you who wonder what happened to the fly over on Memorial Day one of the planes that was scheduled to fly over Onsted developed a mechanical problem and was forced to return to Selfridge A.F.B.

On Aug. 17th. we packed and shipped 36 more quilts to the military for use in hospitals in the war effort. That makes our total now 765 quilts that we have sent. I wish to thank all the people who donate money, time and material to support this project and especially the Marine detachment 1182 for their continued support in helping with the shipping cost.

As you may know Lenawee County now has a program up and running to help all veterans with P.T.S.D. issues and those with suicidal problems, drug and alcohol issues and with whatever other kind of issues that are a problem to veterans. This program is aimed at returning Vet's but help is also there for ANY veteran of ANY war with ANY problem. All you need to do is call 211 and wait for someone to come on the line. This service is now available 7 days a week 24 hours a day.

This group in not connected to any agency, any service club and no records or referals are made unless you ask for one. This is a program run locally by Vet's helping Vet's. Eight months of training and meetings went into this project so a quality assistance program could be made available.

The U.V.C. is in the process of restoring the Vietnam Memorial in Monument Park in Adrian. Please remember there are names on this Memorial from 14 different cities and villages in the County. Funds are being raised to restore this memorial which is in pretty bad shape. Please donate if possible to this cause. Donations can be sent to David Loop at Post 97 in Adrian.

I would ask you to please note the posting on this web site of the planned trip to the Casino and to support that effort if possible. I have been on a couple of these trips and can say that I think you will have a great time and a lot of fun as well as supporting a good cause. I thank you in advance.

As you may have seen we now have a nice new parking lot. A special thanks to Glenn McJennett and Bruce Roback for overseeing that project. Thank you again.

There is one way to find out if a man is honest. Ask him. If he say's "yes" you know he is a crook.:: Groucho Marks

Mike Mc Nally, Commander

SAL COMMANDER'S REPORT: Posted - 11 December 2009

It has been sometime since the last news update, but I have been busy with some issues at home.

The end of the year is upon us and that means if you have not paid your dues yet you are endanger of losing your continuous years as a member of our Squadron. Dues are only $15.00 a year and can be dropped off or mailed to:
                                  The Onsted American Legion S A L
                                  P.O. Box 234
                                  Onsted, Mich. 49265

Breakfast has been doing well. In November we tried to feed the Veterans for free, but many of them still wanted to pay, so we accepted it as a donation for The Fisher House. Thank you to each and every one of you.

We are happy to hear that T J Oliver is doing well, though he is not back to work as of yet.
I am sorry to say that we have lost two of our members recently, Burdette Pheninice and Steve Urich; both lost their battle with cancer. Both will be missed. Our prayers go out to them and their family.

We would like to thank Ed Barch and all who helped with the Poker Run and the donation of money back to the Squadron that has been put into the Fisher House Fund.

I would like to announce that Al Hedrick was awarded a Life Membership at our last meeting. He and his wife Sherry has helped out with numerous things around the Post from breakfast to funeral detail. Thanks Al.

The Post is starting to look pretty nice with the new wax job on the hall floor and Paul Bishop and Ray Youtsey is repairing the ceiling in the hall. The Sons of the American Legion are purchasing three new logo entrance rugs, two for the front entrance and one for the south entrance.

Ernie Lash, Commander

CLUBROOM:

"I have always considered marriage as the most interesting event of one's life, the foundation of happiness or misery." --George Washington, letter to Burwell Bassett, 1785

"[W]hen the resolution of enslaving America was formed in Great Britain, the British Parliament was advised by an artful man, - who was governor of Pennsylvania, to disarm the people; that it was the best and most effectual way to enslave them; but that they should not do it openly, but weaken them, and let them sink gradually, by totally disusing and neglecting the militia." --George Mason, speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention, 1788

"The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind." --Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, 1785

A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's. - Jean Paul Richter

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Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials want to remind those individuals who want to show their appreciation through mail to include packages, letters, and holiday cards addressed to 'Any Wounded Soldier' or 'A Recovering American Soldier' that Walter Reed cannot accept these packages in support of the decision by then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Transportation Policy in 2001. article continued