Post Hi Lites
Volume 2008, Issue 1 www.vfw1782.org January - February 2009
Commander’s Call – Larry Parker I sincerely hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. I know I look forward to Christmas this year as my wife and I will be driving down to Oklahoma and Arizona for the Christmas and New Years holidays. Mid Winter Conference is moving to St. Paul and Crowne Plaza this year January 16, 17 and 18th. If you want more information please attend our monthly meeting the first Thursday of each month. Also as a reminder, annual dues need to be paid by January 1st.for all continuous members. You can ask at the club if you would consider having a lifetime membership, as we have programs to help with the cost. New on our Sunday Brunch menu starting at 10:00AM is the make your own omelet. See you at the post for Sunday Brunch. Bring your friends to the post, I cannot tell you how many people have said how much they enjoy the view, and being in a smoke free environment. We also have upcoming events including Polar Plunge, softball on Ice, open mike night the last Saturday of each month, mini snowmobile races, horseshoes on Ice and many more fun things to do in the winter. We are now putting the Newsletter on our web page and all future newsletters will be online. Our Post web page is www.vfw1782.org. If you prefer to have the newsletter emailed to you send an email to LSchmidt@spt.com. Commander Larry Parker
President’s Notes – Linda Schmidt
Happy New Year! I hope the New Year brings you everything you truly need! In past years, I have noted some popular New Year resolutions. This year, I offer the following story called, Two Wolves, author unknown. One evening an elderly Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.” “One is Evil … it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” “The other is Good … it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The elderly Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” I want to thank all of you who participated in our events last year. We had a great year and we tried lots of new things. We worked hard to support our veterans and our community. We raised and donated a solid amount of money, we helped those that we could and we had a little fun while doing it. To all of you, a big Thank You! With that said, we have lots of things planned for 2009. th The January meeting will be held on the 8 due to the holiday. Please consider joining us. The meetings usually last about an hour and a half and they are a great way to find out what is going on at the VFW. Don’t worry; we won’t assign you any work unless you st want us to! We usually meet at 7:00 p.m. on the 1 Thursday of the month. Please consider attending the Mid Winter Conference this year. It is in downtown St. Paul for the very first time. Our own member and State President, Terri Fenn will be leading the Auxiliary meetings. The meetings are fun and informative. There will be a poppy contest and display, a scarf drive for the American Cancer Society, a blood drive and lots of hospitality. Additional information and the agenda will be available at the January meeting. Respectfully, Linda J. Schmidt
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President’s Points – Craig Brown! Happy New Year! I would personally like to thank all of our members for everything they do to support our veterans and community. In 2008 we did a great job of raising funds to support our new organization and to begin donating to the community. We participated in the Auxiliary Golf Tournament, sold Chicago Dogs at Marketfest and the WBT Festival and sponsored the Halloween Party. It was a great feeling to donate money to the Lion’s Toy Program for the first time. What better way to help our community that to put a smile on families faces during the holidays! We have a lot planned for 2009. I encourage all of you to join us for our monthly meetings. They are held on the 2nd Monday of the month at the Post and last approximately one hour. Stay safe and stay warm! Regards, Craig Brown, Men’s Auxiliary President Congratulations to Cerenity Senior Care! Cerenity Senior Care of WBL is one of 24 facilities in MN to earn the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living Quality Award for demonstrating a strong commitment to continuous quality improvement! Great work! Saying Thank You! Have you ever felt awkward saying thank you to a veteran. The following website/video offers suggestions on how to say thank you! To view the video go to, http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php
Whom to Contact
Illness or death in the family of a Post member John Rumm, Service Officer 651-429-4517 Illness or death in the family of an Auxiliary member Linda Schmidt, President 651-253-8722 Funeral lunch Tom Womack, Club Manager 651-426-4944 Ray Hoyt, Meat Raffle Manager 651-426-4944 Post Honor Guard Ken Peterson 651-429-7582 Auxiliary Memorial Service Linda Schmidt, President 651-253-8722 Auxiliary Cancer Grant Deb Wilson 651-426-9083 Membership information Post – John Lauer 651-426-4644 Auxiliary - Carol Kratz 651-245-1024
Community Service . . . please let us know
when you volunteer in the community. Email patricia.blumer@usbank.com the date(s) and description of your volunteer activity and number of hours volunteered. We’d like to include them in our monthly community services report.
Post & Auxiliary Membership Are you a member in good standing? Look at your membership card. If it is not 2009 – send your $27.00 (Post) $18.00 (Auxiliary) to the Post ASAP. It’s never too late to switch to a life membership. Even if you have already paid your dues! Welcome New Members! Post Auxiliary Rosell Erhardt Charlene Novak
IMPORTANT! All dues must be paid by 12/31/08 to maintain continuous membership! It is very important to be a continuous member! If you are not a continuous member, you may not qualify for certain benefits such as boat slips years of service pins and other important benefits. Please take a moment today to make sure you have paid your dues! Thanks! If you need assistance with your Ladies Auxiliary membership, please call Carol Kratz. It our goal to ensure that all interested members maintain their membership!
Sick Call!
Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers! Charlotte Audette Laura Culp Cathy Collier Anna Mae Campbell Please advise us of those who are ill or who need a kind word of friendship by calling Linda Schmidt at 651-253-8722. Thank you!
Commander Service Officer Club Manager
Larry Parker John Rumm Tom Womack
651-429-5350 651-429-4517 651-426-4944
President President Editor
Linda Schmidt Craig Brown Linda Schmidt
651-253-8722 651-653-1709 651-253-8722
4496 S. Lake Ave, MN 55110
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HELPERS WANTED!!! Can you spare an hour?
We need your assistance to support our Cerenity Care Center Bingo program. It is the 3rd Wed of every month from 7 pm till 8:30 pm. We need friendly people to assist players. Please plan to BRING A SMILE! Please call Carol Kratz 651245-1024 if you can help! Thank you! Ladies Auxiliary New Member Initiation At the March 5th Ladies Auxiliary meeting, a new member initiation ceremony will be held. The ceremony is a great way to meet other members and learn about our organization. If you plan to attend, please contact Linda Schmidt at 651-253-8722 or Carol Kratz at 651-245-1024 by Feb. 20th.
Fort Snelling Cemetery Visit – date TBD Terri Fenn and Carol Kratz recently attended the Wreaths Across America Ceremony at Fort Snelling. They assisted in placing wreaths at the gravesites. They noted that several of our loved one’s are buried there. They suggested we organize a trip to the Cemetery. So, we will plan to organize transportation and assistance in visiting those we have lost. Additional details will be available in the next newsletter.
Volunteer Opportunities: Visitation at Mpls. VA Hospital – 2nd Sunday of every month at 1:15 PM, for more information, call Gordon Sutherland at 651-429-9378. Bingo at Cerenity Care Center – 3rd Wed of month at 7:15 PM, volunteers needed, contact Carol Kratz at 651-245-1024. Veterans & Community Service: Mpls. and Hasting Veteran’s Lunches hosted by and at our Post 1st Tuesday of every other months. Call Sy @ 651-631-0019 for details.
Youth Snowmobile Races! New Event! The VFW will be hosting youth snowmobile races on January 24th. Registration is at 8 AM and the races start at 9 AM. For more information call Dave at 651-755-4359. Special Olympics Polar Plunge – January 31st! It’s time to get your swimsuits on and get Freezin’ for a Reason! The VFW will once again host the WBL Polar Plunge. Last year over 340 plungers were involved and they raised over $80,000! The Plunge will be held on st Saturday, January 31 , registration begins at 8 AM, plunge at 12:00 PM. Each participant must raise $75.00 to qualify to take the plunge. You can register the morning of the Plunge or on-line at www.specialolympicsminnesota.org.
Upcoming Events at VFW Post 1782 January 8th – Post & Ladies Auxiliary Meeting January 16 – 18th Mid-Winter Conference January 24th – Snowmobile Races January 31st – Polar Plunge February – Softball on Ice - TBD March – 7th & 8th Horseshoe on Ice Tourney May 9th – Terri Fenn’s Testimonial *Open Mic Night, the last Saturday night of the each month.
White Bear Lake Food Shelf Donation! Thanks to everyone who made a food shelf donation at the Halloween Party or on Make a Difference Day! Due to your generosity, we were able to deliver a total of 258 lbs of food and cash in the amount of $320.00.
Taps Katherine Blumer Donald Courteau Rubye Diehn Dean DuFresne Arthur Jacobson Gregory Koch
Charitable Gambling Donations – September, October & November Questions? Contact Bill Mample – Gambling Manager All Post and Auxiliary members may attend the gambling meetings Honor Guard/Blood Donors $1,050 VFW Halloween Party $ 500 MN Vets Home (MPLS) 500 Fall Conference Gambling Mtg. 1,000 MN Vest Home (Hastings) 500 VOD & Patriots Pen Programs 2,000 St. Mary’s Fall Festival 270 Century College Veterans Ctr. 200 VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS N Matt Moertell, Eagle Scout Project 150 IBARS Cancer Donation 300
ON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
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POST 1782 4496 South Lake Avenue White Bear Lake, MN 55110
US POSTAGE PAID ST. PAUL , MN PERMIT NO. 1764
Non-Profit Organization
Important Dates & Times Post Home Daily Hours: 10 AM to 1 AM 1st Thursday of Every Month: Post and Ladies Auxiliary Meeting 7PM 2nd Monday of Every Month: Men’s Auxiliary Meeting 7PM Every Other Month (odd months)/4th Tuesday of the Month: Blood Drive, meet at Post @ 5:30 PM Gambling meeting - Call the Post for next scheduled meeting 651-426-4944 January 2009 Weekly Happenings! From The Kitchen February 2009 1st Happy New Year! Mon-Thurs–Happy Hour 34th Post/Auxiliary Mtg. 7 PM A full lunch & dinner menu served 7 5th Johnny Boy Williams BD! 6pm, Late Nite Happy Hour 7th 4th District Mtg. days per week, 11AM – 8 PM th everyday, except for Fridays open until 8th VA Visitation 1:30 PM *8 Post/Auxiliary Mtg. 7 10 PM – 12 AM 9 PM. PM 9th Men’s Auxiliary Mtg 7 PM th 11 VA Visititation at 1:30 Monday – 8 PM – 12 PM 14th Happy Valentine’s Day! Daily Specials including: PM Hospitality Night 16th President’s Day Wed – Hot roast beef sandwich th 12 Men’s Auxiliary Mtg. 7 PM Tuesdays – Free Texas 18th Bingo at Cerenity 7 PM with mashed potatoes & gravy 16th – 18th Mid-Winter Hold’em Tournament 7 PM $6.50 Conference at Crowne Plaza (registration 6 – 7 PM) Most major credit cards Fri – All you care to eat Fish Fry 21st Bingo at Cerenity Care Wednesday – Meat raffle accepted! Center 7:00 PM @ 5 Prize Drawings 5-7 PM $7/ala carte & 1/2 Rack of Ribs $10.95. 24th Youth Snowmobile Races Thursdays - Free Texas *VFW 1782 Post & Aux 9 AM Hold’em Tournament 7 PM members with current dues Sunday Brunch – Build Your Own 25th Happy Birthday Jack! (2nd thru last Thursday) card receive $1.00 beverage Omelette 10 AM – 12 PM $5.99 st 31 Polar Plunge Fri – Meat raffle @ 5 PM with the purchase of a Take out only Fried Chicken! Sat – Meat raffle @ 4 PM beverage. 8pc Bucket = $8.00 Last Sat – Open Mic Nite 9 12p Bucket = $12.00 PM
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