HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF MISSOURI VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE U.S., INC GENERAL ORDERS NO. 2
Series 09 - 10
(To be read or distributed at a regular Post meeting and filed)
August 2009
1. The next meeting of the Council of Administration will be held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, Jefferson City, Missouri, on Saturday, September 26, 2009, beginning at 8:00 a.m. All members of the Council, as well as Committees and Chairpersons should make every effort to attend and be prepared to report in accordance with the agenda which will be provided prior to the meeting. Room reservations must be made through the hotel by calling 800-338-8088, no later than August 25, 2009. A flat rate of $79.00 (plus tax) has been given to the VFW. Please be sure to tell the reservationists that you are with the Missouri VFW State Homecoming group to receive this rate. Ticket order forms for the Commander/President’s Testimonial Dinner will be distributed soon. The theme is Classic 60s. Get out your polyester suits, tie dyed shirts, and go go boots. Come hungry. 2. The National Commander in Chief’s Homecoming is scheduled for September 10 – 13, 2009, at the Wyndham Airport Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Those wishing to attend should contact Department Headquarters for information on registration and events. Room rate is $119.00 dollars per night. Cut off date for reservations are August 10, 2009. 3. The 2009 Big 10 Conference will be hosted by the Department of Nebraska October 16 – 18, 2009, in Omaha, Nebraska. Those wishing to attend should contact Department Headquarters for information on registration and events. Room rate is $109.00 per night. The cut-off date for early reservations is September 24, 2009. 4. The annual trip to the National Home for Children will be October 23-25, 2009. This year, the Department of Missouri will host the Halloween Party for the children. We are asking every post to provide a tentative headcount to the National Home Chairman so he can reserve a block of hotel rooms. Cost is $175.00 per person. Traditionally, posts have paid for the cost of their commander and guest to go on the trip. We’re asking that you would continue this custom. See attached National Home Flyer for additional information. This is one of the most important and enduring programs supported by the VFW. The deadline to sign-up is October 1, 2009. For further information, contact Kevin Speis at 636-379-1986 or e-mail: kevinspeis@vfwpost5077.org. 5. Posts that have not registered at least one (1) delegate to the National Convention should do so immediately. Section 222, Manual of Procedures, mandates each Post to register one (1) delegate to each National Convention. Failure to do so will be in violation of Section
General Orders #2, Series 09-10 Dave Morgan, Commander Page - 2 213--Arrearages, By-Laws. The registration fee is $10.00 and should be mailed direct to: 110th National Convention, 406 West 34th Street, Kansas City MO 64111. 6. All posts are required to file a Federal Income Tax return. NO EXCEPTIONS! Posts may obtain forms 990EZ, 990 and/or 990T from any IRS Office, or online at http://www.irs.gov. Posts with a year end of 30 June must file with the IRS prior to 15 November 2009. If your gross income (from all sources) is less than $25,000.00 per year, you will file the form 990N online from now on. Go online to the IRS site, http://www.epostcard.form99.org/ and follow the three (3) steps to sign up and file. 7. Article VII sec. 704 of the National By-Laws and Manual of Procedures establishes the requirement for all Posts to establish and maintain a Relief Fund. Expenditures from the relief fund shall be as prescribed in section 704 of the Manual of Procedures. Expenditures authorized include donations to Veteran Service, National Home and support of the National Guard and their families. Audit Reports received at Department Headquarters indicate that many Posts may not be meeting this requirement. All Posts are to review their accounting practices and ensure they are meeting this requirement. 8. All inspection reports should be mailed directly to the Department Inspector, Jeffrey Bibb. His address is: P.O. Box 473, Hillsboro, MO 63050. If a Deputy Inspector wishes to claim mileage for travel in connection with the inspections, he must submit his voucher to the Department Inspector for approval. 9. The 2010 Membership campaign is now underway. All 2009 members are urged to renew as soon as possible. Dues reminder notices were mailed by National Headquarters to all 2009 members during the later part of June. The next dues reminder notice will be mailed in September. 10. The National By-Laws and the Missouri All-State Program require the Post Commander or a Post Representative attend all meetings called by the District Commander. Post Commanders should familiarize themselves with Article II sec. 218 – Officers: Duties and Obligations and ensure they are meeting their obligations. 11. The Department wishes to express sincere appreciation to those Posts and individuals who have renewed their Patriots Pen and Voice of Democracy Scholarships. All scholarships are currently funded for this year. However, our payout to the students is dependant upon how many scholarships we have to award. We can always use additional scholarships. If your Post or Ladies Auxiliary would be interested in (co)sponsoring a scholarship, please forward $500.00 to Department Headquarters prior to September 30, 2009. Payments will be accepted in full amount or monthly installments. A total of $500.00 must be received by September 30, 2009, for the 2010 Scholarship Program. Scholarships will be paid out over a five year period to district winners. Scholarship sponsor's name(s) will be listed in the banquet program each year. 12. The deadline for articles to be submitted into Department for the VFW Missourian is August 15, 2009. Email: adj@mo.vfwwebmail.com; fax: 573-636-2664; mail: P.O. Box 26, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
General Orders #2, Series 09-10 Dave Morgan, Commander Page - 3 13. Anyone requesting a Department Officer to attend a function must submit a written request to Department Headquarters at least 45 days prior to the date of the function. 14. The following District meetings are announced for the month of August. ALL DISTRICT MEETINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH INSTRUCTIONS PASSED OUT AT THE DISTRICT SCHOOL OF INSTRUCTION. NO EXCEPTIONS!
DIST 5 6 7 8 18
POST # 1000 8220 2175 2593 4107
LOCATION Independence Belton Nevada Maxville/Arnold Lebanon
DATE 08-02-09 08-02-09 08-09-09 08-02-09 08-01-09
TIME 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m.
REPRESENTATIVE Olin Parks Bob Wonnell Dave Morgan Jessie Jones Bob Wonnell
Please note: All Department Officers will be attending the National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona August 15 – 20, 2009.
Official: Jessie L. Jones Department Adjutant
By Order Of: Dave Morgan Commander