LEGIONNAIRE Vol. LXXXIX No. 6 michiganlegion.org March 2021 MICHIGAN VETERANS TRUST FUND GOING STRONG AFTER 75 YEARS February 25, 1946MI LANSING, Mich. – Seventy-five years ago today, not are considered members for life. changed long after the end of World War II, the Michigan Legisla- since 1946,” ture officially established the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund “Our commitment to these brave men and women starts the day they take their oath and continues after they’ve Holm said. (MVTF) with $50 million to support military veterans and “As the vet- their families. completed their service in all facets of their lives,” Adams said. “The MVTF assistance is another way we’re able to eran popu- Since that ceremonial beginning on Feb. 25, 1946, the break down the barriers our veterans face and helps make lation and Trust Fund has assisted some 643,000 eligible veterans and Michigan a great place for veterans to live, work, play and social de- dependents with a total of $125 million in aid – and shows retire.” mographics no signs of slowing down. are chang- In addition to its main mission of providing direct emer- ing, we are As one of the nation’s oldest veteran trust funds, the gency aid to eligible veterans and their families, the MTVF MVTF’s corpus has grown through careful investments to committed has also recently expanded its reach into other veteran-cen- to keeping about $69 million and remains a cornerstone of the Mich- tric areas. This includes: igan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA). Interest from the pace with MVTF provides emergency grants to wartime-era veterans Offering veterans and their families access to free finan- those changes in a way that will advantage this generation for things like mortgage and rent assistance, home repairs cial counseling through GreenPath Financial Wellness, a and future generations of veterans.” and heating bills. nonprofit counseling organization. Applications for MVTF assistance are taken through the “The Veterans Trust Fund has been a vital resource for Partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Michigan with veteran’s local county veterans affairs office or by calling generations of Michigan veterans and their families to make a goal of getting more house repairs completed for eligible the MVAA’s 24/7 hotline at 1-800-MICH-VET. Locally ap- it through challenging financial times,” said Gov. Gretchen veterans. proved grants of up to $3,500 are available to wartime-era Whitmer. “Our servicemembers put their lives on the line Donating $300,000 to help create Food4Vets, a program veterans and spouses, un-remarried widow(er)s and minor to protect our freedoms, and we are dedicated to ensuring in collaboration with the MVAA to provide food assistance children of eligible veterans who are experiencing an un- they have the support they need when they come home.” to eligible veterans and their families. foreseen, temporary financial emergency or hardship. The Veterans Trust Fund, administered by a gubernatori- Donating $52,000 to Gleaners Community Food Bank Marianne Darnell, whose late husband, Jackie, served for al-appointed Board of Trustees, falls under the auspices of in southeastern Michigan to support food insecurity pro- more than 20 years in the Army and Army Reserve, started the MVAA, the central coordinating agency for Michigan’s grams for veterans. experiencing plumbing problems in her Muskegon Heights 552,000 veterans and their families. home and couldn’t afford to fix them. She considered turn- Providing a grant to Heroes Haven to support the Michi- ing to the MVTF for help but was unsure of what type of MVAA Director Zaneta Adams said the Trust Fund’s gan organization’s programs for veterans with PTSD and to response and customer service she would receive. success in supporting hundreds of thousands of veterans expand programs to include women veterans. “After giving it a lot of thought, I did contact the Michi- over the years Lindell Holm, Director of the Michigan Veterans Trust reflects Mich- gan Veterans Trust Fund,” Marianne says. “I completed the Fund since 2014, said the growth of the corpus in recent necessary paperwork, provided the information requested igan’s belief years and the declining veteran population compelled the that those and within two weeks I received the assistance I requested. MVTF Board to identify ways in its recent strategic plan to If you are a veteran or a veteran’s widow in need of emer- who serve continue meeting the needs of the veteran community. our state and gency assistance, I would recommend you contact them. I nation in the “Helping veterans facing emergency situations remains cannot say enough about the assistance I received from the armed forces our top priority, but we recognize that a lot of things have Michigan Veterans Trust Fund.” Department is seeking nominations for Teacher of the Year! Each year the department recognizes five teachers, one from each Zone for their work and projects that teach our students about Americanism, Patriotism, and the March 2021 March values our country was founded. We know it has been a crazy year, but we also know teachers are teaching and they are still being creative. Will you help us find teachers that deserve recognition for their work. Nominations will be received until April 3, 2021 and nomination forms can be down- loaded at michiganlegion.org/teacher. Official Publication of The American Legion Department of Michigan of Michigan Legion Department of The American Official Publication 2021 Annual Department Convention Information on Page 19 2 | MICHIGAN LEGIONNAIRE & AUXILIAIRE | March 2021| Michiganlegion.org children going back to school, for our MICHIGAN LEGIONNAIRE & CHAPLAIN Posts to open, and for restaurants to AUXILIAIRE WAITING, WAITING, AND WAITING open so that comrades can be encourag- (USPS 010637) is published month- Larry Vollink ing each other once again! For opportu- ly except February, May, August, and Department Chaplain nities to see our children and grandchil- December by The American Legion dren again. Waiting and waiting for good and American Legion Auxiliary,De- WOW, I just saw the perfect basketball things to happen again! game; no, it was not a no-hitter, like base- partment of Michigan, 212 N.Verlin- ball. It was the Detroit Pistons beating the BUT, can we use our waiting, whether it den, Lansing, MI 48915-1297.Peri- Boston Celtics and rookie star Saddig Bey, be a little moment of our time, or endlessly, the long days, to odical postage paid at Lansing, MI, and scored 30 pts, 12 rebounds, and 7 for 7 in find a way to strengthen our lives? Spiritually, I have found additional mailing offices.Subscription the 3 pts. The perfect game was the 7 for my way of bringing patience into my life. The Bible says, “We $10 non-members, members receive 7, without a miss! The team was relentless hope for what we do not see, and we wait for it with patience.” the publication as part of their dues. in working together by passing, and using their bodies to the Patience! That’s what we can strive for, but it comes within, POSTMASTER: Send address changes very end, and giving them a “W” It was a slow start, but they by living our faith in God and giving thanks for our Father in to Michigan Legionnaire, Department just hung in there. heaven. As we see Him, we discover His patience in us. of Michigan, 212 N. Verlinden, Lansing, This past week, our Winter Conference DEC meeting took No one likes to wait, for traffic lights, for doctors, for jobs, MI 48915-1297. place on Zoom. Fifty-seven people were involved and went for retirement, and for sickness to be over. But while we are DEADLINE DATES over 3 hours without a break! These men and women again waiting, can we be active in our spirits? Yes! Say with me, April issue is March 8 worked relentlessly, dedicating themselves to make every- something I learned in the military and taught my soldiers. Circulation: 96,687 thing to be right, no matter how long it would take! It is “BUT THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD WILL RENEW Printed: 2-28-2021. Mailed: 3-2-2021 awesome to be part of a group that is patient and trusting THEIR STRENGTH; THEY each other to be the best we can be in the American Legion! WILL SOAR ON WINGS OF HEADQUARTERS DIRECTORY EAGLES; THEY WILL RUN Sadly, I watched an elderly couple of marriage of 60 years AND NOT GROW WEARY; Publisher: Ronald Runyan who were separated for over a year, as the husband was in THEY WILL WALK AND Editor: Mark Sutton a nursing home and could not go home to be with his wife. NOT FAINT” (Isaiah 40:31) The wife would come to see him every day but with the help The American Legion Dept. of Michigan of the entire community. On TV, we saw them together again Waiting? Let’s move soldier! 212 N. Verlinden, Lansing, MI 48915 as he presented her with a bouquet of roses. Amen. (517) 371-4720 Fax: (517) 689-6100 michiganlegion.org Waiting can be very hard to do. For the vaccine shot, for [email protected] Extension CONGRATULATIONS WINTER RAFFLE WINNERS! Legion and SAL Membership 124 [email protected] Grand Prize,Gerrit,Arens,Jenison Legion Finance 117 [email protected] 2nd Prize,Bill,Cheolas,Melvin Programs, Boys State, 3rd Prize,Randall,Archer,Augusta Scholarships, Baseball 123 4th Prize,Edward,Gromek Jr.,Ortonville [email protected] 5th Prize,William,Brisbois,Livonia Veterans Service 112 6th Prize,Richard,Micklash,Walling Wednesday only 7th Prize,Christian,Grose,Grand Ledge Public Relations, Website, Newspaper, Social Media, History 116 8th Prize,Gregory,Webster,Redford [email protected] 9th Prize,John,Sill Jr.,Edwardsburg Administration 113 10th Prize,Argil,Willman,Saint Louis [email protected] 11th Prize,Gene,Torn,Chesaning 12th Prize,Dennis,Stiles,Belmont Do you have a photo you would like 13th Prize,Stanley,Sommers,Ira to submit for the Michigan Legionnaire 14th Prize,David ,Swathwood,Ludington and/or website use? 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