VETERANS WE ARE ONE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 Issue 1 1st Edition Official Newsletter of the VFW Philip Billard Post #1650 3110 SW Huntoon St, Topeka, KS 66604 OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday 09:30—12:00 noon; 1:00—3:30 p.m. Closed all holidays. Phone: 785-235-9073 Fax: 785-235-9075 Email: [email protected] Website: www.vfw1650.org Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/VFWPhilipBillardPost1650 FROM THE COMMANDER OF VFW POST 1650 : SHANNON GOLDEN. With the holiday season coming to a close, I look forward to the upcoming events and the new calendar year. Our membership is always out in the community doing great things for veterans, and being a general positive light for all of our brothers and sisters in arms. During the 2017 holiday season, we hosted our first ever Thanksgiving meal for Veterans in the community that may not have family to spend it with. The idea was thought up and executed by our bar manager, Kourtenay Main, and was a great time and I hope we can continue to host this each and every year. Christmas is a time to spend with family and enjoy the good things in life. The post was closed Christmas day to allow our family to spend time with their families. Even as Christmas closed in, our membership still worked hard to ensure that our Veterans were taken care of. I am so proud of the people that make post 1650 what it. Every time I think that there isn’t anything more we can do, the membership of post 1650 proves me wrong. To all of the officers, and 20171105 Post Commander, Shannon Golden and Post Senior Vice, Angie especially the membership of post 1650, thank you, and Grey supporting the Westboro Plaza Christmas Lighting keep up the great work! 1 VETERANS WE ARE ONE Military Order of the Cooties The Post is proud to have a very active Cooties organization. A big thanks to Dave Stevens for all his work in keeping the Cooties an active organization! SEAM SQUIRREL, Gary Jackman Meetings 1st Thursday of each month, 5 pm Social Hour, Covered Dish Dinner 6 pm, Scratch 7 pm. January Scratch is the 4th, February Scratch the 1st. Annual Dues: Your VFW dues must be current, MOC $25, MOCA $10, make checks payable to MOC Pup Tent # 3 or MOCA Pup Tent # 3 and bring to the post or 20171215 Senior Vice Angie Grey and Post Chaplain Art Brennan mail to CCDB Bill Barker at 3649 SW Burlingame Rd., Topeka KS 66611. supporting the 35th MP Company, KSNG, Holiday Party SCHOLARSHIP - Donna Burton, VFW Aux Applications for the VFW Auxiliary Continuing Edu- cation Scholarship are now being accepted from Auxiliary members, their spouses, daughters and/or sons (only) who wish to further their education by pur- suing a college degree or want a change in career direction at a technical school. Send the completed application to the attention of the Director of Pro- grams, VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters, 406 W 34th St., 10th Floor. Kansas City, MO. 64111. The application must be received by 15 February 2018. Kansas VFW Endowment: is for any VFW or Auxiliary member, their children or grandchildren. Stu- dents, who will be graduating from high school in May 2018, students already enrolled in college or someone who interested in a career change later in life may ap- ply. Completed application must be turned into the VFW Auxiliary for membership verification, before the due date of 01 February 2018. Applications for both Endowment and Continuing Education are available in the office. 2 VETERANS WE ARE ONE QUARTERMASTER’S REPORT: Mike Slusser, Quartermaster. November and December revenues and expendi- tures were back to our normal course. Because of Taco Tuesday in the Last Call Lounge, our food sales are doing great! A big thanks to Kourtenay and our Bar Staff for all they are doing! On a sad note, our Post Administrator and Assistant Quartermaster, Dan Skoda has resigned his position effective the end of December. Dan has done an incredi- ble job keeping the Post’s accounting accurate and complete. We are very thankful for his years of service and his contributions will be missed. The Post has appointed a Committee to look into courses of action for the Administrator Position, but there will definitely be a period of degraded office hours until we can find a solution. In the interim, we are looking for volunteers to cover the office hours and changing some of our administrative processes to be more cost effective. If you are interested in covering down in the office for a few hours a week, please let me know! We appreciate everyone’s help in keeping our Post relative and flourishing in our community! POST 1650 MEMBERSHIP AND FUNDRAISING DRIVE: Your Post is giving away this Colt® “We the People” Tribute Pistol .45 ACP. (Limited Edition of 1000) at the conclusion of our Membership Drive on May 1, 2018 at 7:00pm, you are invited to attend. Once again, the FIRST 20 new eligible VFW members will receive a FREE 1-year membership after purchasing 3 tickets to the drawing and upon presentation of a copy of their DD-214 to the Post Quartermaster or Adminis- trator. For additional information. Check our website www.vfw1650.org or our facebook page Philip Billard VFW Post #1650. Current members can also support our Post by making a donation of $10 (for 1 ticket) or $25 (for 3 tickets) to the Post, marked as “We the People fundraiser”. VFW HONOR GUARD/FUNERAL DETAIL: Are you willing to donate a few hours each month to help your Post? We are in need of volunteers for our funeral honor guard. The detail consists of 15 comrades so we can give a very good honorary program for our departed comrades. Our dress is white shirt, gray trousers, and dark navy blue jacket with black tie. It usually takes about two hours of your time. If you can help, please call the Post at 235-9073 or Russ Estes 249-6686. BINGO CHAIRMAN: Thanks to all those who help every week with Bingo. We are always looking for those who would like to help with Bingo . Bingo is held every Wednesday and Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Hope everyone has a Happy New Year. TAPS: Robert Puckett Sr., 11-6-17 Richard Macha, 11-29-17 William Pape, 12-16-17 3 VETERANS WE ARE ONE AUXILIARY PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: Kelle Brewer-Brown VETERANS AND FAMILY SUPPORT: Birthday cards are HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I trust that your Christmas was filled with sent each month to members we have birthday dates for. If you joy and you spent some quality time just relaxing. December was have not received a birthday card, please give us a call and give an especially busy month for the Auxiliary. In addition to our us your birth date. God bless you all for everything you do for our regular, twice weekly, bingo snack bar (volunteers always veterans every single day. Please contact us if you know of any welcome) we had a special luncheon for an outpatient group members we should remember with celebrations, illness or other from the VA, assisted with a (Dept/District) Christmas party at the reasons. Reach Roberta at 249-7612. VA, put in some last minute time to accommodate for the private -Roberta Perue & Gloria Foster hall rentals, one Auxiliary member sponsored wreaths and partcipated in the Wreaths Across America ceremonies and HOSPITAL: Mary Jane Mann, There will be bingo parties with our annual Christmas Bake Sale . Whew. Upcoming is the prizes & refreshments for Bldgs.6 & 2 & 4 in Jan. & Feb. National Department Mid-Winter meeting in Topeka, Jan 12-13 at the Salute To Veterans is the third week in Feb. The needs for the Capitol Plaza Hotel. If you've never been to a Department Veterans are as follows: body wash, shampoo, conditioner in one meeting this is your chance, there will be training on the new bottle, razors, toothpaste ( large size), shaving cream ( non- MALTA system, special presentations on mentoring and member alcohol), white crew socks, white T-shirts and briefs ( sizes engagement, plus the state winners for the Voice of Democracy S,M,L, X-L, 2XL, 3XL), are always welcome. Take the donations and Patriots Pen contests will be honored guests at the Saturday to Bldg. 24 Volunteer Office at the VA. night banquet. Speaking of.... on Post Founders Day, February Thank you for helping our Veterans. 3rd, the top winners from our local Voice of Democracy and Patriots Pen Contests will be presented their certificates and AMERICANISM - Carol Villalobos, VFW Auxiliary Chair awards monies. The first place winners of these contests are asked to read their winning essays...a wonderful opportunity to be DATES to REMEMBER... January: 1-New Years Day; 15-Martin inspired by our next generation of leaders. If you are, or know of Luther King Day; 29 - Kansas Day a struggling military family, have them call the Military & Veteran Family Helpline at 800-313-4200 or email at February: 1-National Freedom Day; 3-Four Chaplains Memorial [email protected]. This helpline is a free service that Day; 4-Super Bowl; 17-Random Acts of Kindness Day; 19- offers information and partners with human service organizations, President's Day. veteran service groups and service officers to find the right kind of YOUTH - Kathy Watson, VFW Auxiliary Chair assistance and provide solutions to those who are strug- gling. Please join us at Auxiliary meetings on the 3rd Monday of The VFW Auxiliary is collecting Box Tops for Education and Best each month at 6:30pm.