Brakeman-King

POST 336 NEWS

JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH 2009 ISSUE

EDITOR: Violet Cooley

- Post -

Commander's Corner....

Greetings,

Happy New Year to my extended family! I wish you all good health and sound mind. As we prepare for 2009, I would like to share some thoughts with you. First and foremost, we, the members of this club need to be reminded of customs, courtesies, and finally RESPECT. Respect should be extended at all times in the canteen, pavilion and smoking areas(outside), just to name a few common places. From a personal point of view, respect should be practiced in every aspect of our everyday life. As Commander, my point is that our club is only as good as it’s members. We are close to being quota post. This means we have strength in numbers. This energy is extremely positive. The customs of The American Legion will be practiced as they are written and we, the members need to respect each other both in and out of the club. If you have a problem at the post, keep it there. Give the leaders the time and courtesy to address and solve your problem. Keep an open mind and remember, we sometimes must agree to disagree. This is necessary for the health and wellness of our club.

As the country faces a difficult economic period, we must maintain our cost in a multitude of areas concerning day-to-day operations. My ultimate goal is to entertain, maintain and sustain in these troubled times. I vow to continue to provide family fun and adult socialization. Finally, we must be reminded that our success relies on the fact that we have the back of each other and remain united. We provide a great service to God, Family, the Community, State and Nation. It is my greatest hope that this genuine service ultimately contributes to a positive change in our world.

May the year 2009 remind us to give back double what we receive and not only will our club be a better place, the rest of the world might just follow suit.

God Bless to All
AMERICAN LEGION MEMBERS

Derrick Abney
Post Commander

PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND THE POST, SAL, OR AUXILIARY MEETINGS.
THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT AND ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.

- Auxiliary -

I would like to extend a very joyous New Year to everyone. I know the times are very hard right now, but I still see an allegiance in our membership to keep our club going. This in itself constitutes how dedicated we are to our club, which gives me a great sense of pride.

The auxiliary has been very busy the past three months, probably our busiest time of the year. We are now going into the first part of 2009 with many activities. Our fish fries will be starting January 9th and running through Good Friday. We will be hosting a Sweetheart Reverse Raffle February 8th. This is, as always, a breakfast raffle. Tickets will be available through any Auxiliary officer and behind the bar. Also the Post, Sons, Color Guard, and Auxiliary will be sponsoring some Sunday morning breakfasts during the next few months. Please check your calendars for the specific dates. We will also be hosting another "Big Boy Nite" on March 28th. We hope to see a lot of you there. The sandwiches are great.

On another note, I would like to close by asking all of you to remember our service persons, many of whom spent the Holidays away from family and friends. Pray that we, as Americans, can get this great country back on its feet and continue with the pride we have for our freedom and democracy.

Cora Duruttya
Auxiliary President

- S.A.L. -

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season.

The Son’s are having a reverse raffle on January 10th, and tickets are on sale now. if you are interested in purchasing a ticket you can contact any S.A.L. officer. The price is $15.00 per ticket.

In February we will be holding a fund raiser for one of our S.A.L. members, Ed (Spanky) Van Houten who will be running for National Chaplain. We will be having a steak dinner to help raise money for his campaign.

ALSO let’s not forget that membership is due, so if you haven't paid your dues, please get them in as soon as possible. We are at about 65% percent paid to membership goal. We will be going through the roster and turning off fobs of those who haven’t paid their dues, sometime around the 1st of January, so make sure you not one of them.

And don’t forget our troops overseas, let’s say a prayer for them and bring them home safe.

Willie Wilson
S.A.L. Commander

- Junior Activities -

As in the past, the Auxiliary is asking for any children under the age of 18, to consider joining our Junior Activities. The efforts of the Junior Activities are to promote Americanism, Veterans projects, Leadership training, Patriotism, and Volunteering. These are important traits to instill in our young of today. Right now we would like to work on a coupon collection for our troops overseas. We will be collecting coupons for cleaning supplies, diapers, baby products, and non-perishable food items (no frozen or fresh foods). There is a box on the table right under the information board (food and disc jockey info), by the kitchen. All coupons are greatly appreciated.

We will be holding our first Junior meeting on January 18th at 3:00 p.m. After that the meeting will be held on the third Sunday of every month. Please consider getting your children involved. This is a great opportunity for them. If you are interested, please contact Cheryl Galayda either by dropping a note in our Presidents mail box, or by phone.

Thank you,
Cheryl Galayda, Junior Activities Chairman
Phone 440-567-5093

- Canteen -

As always our Ladies Auxiliary, Sons and Post have filled the schedule with dinners, events and entertainment. Woody, Dave and Helmuth will be with us and Larry is going to have a lip sync contest on January 2nd. Hopefully we can talk him into doing another one sometime during the next few months, so check the board for extra events and changes. We are also having free juke box nights on some Friday and Saturday evenings when our DJ’s are unavailable. So far juke box nights have gone great so come in and enjoy the music and members. We are also having a customer appreciation day in January, so watch the board. This is the Post’s way of saying "thank you" to all our members.

The year 2009 is here and we need to come together in peace and camaraderie, because as you know, 2009 is going to be an economic challenge. Change means growth and whether we like it or not changes are going to be made this year. Let’s make the Legion our sanctuary from the tough times ahead. Together we can keep our minds off our problems as we find our way through 2009.

Not often, but sometimes we will come across a member who is in the negative about our Post. I challenge them to some wise words a great man told me, he said, "I wish for those who complain about our Post would look around and notice, we are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Our Post is clean, our grounds are well kept. We contribute to the community and many members in need. We have free dinners through the year. We provide entertainment almost every weekend and we have a pavilion that has turned out to be a grand success. So I say if you have a problem go to a meeting." I hope you can appreciate these words as much as I did. We are lucky to have a Post that respects its members enough to provide all it does for them.

Take time to thank your Post Officers, past and present. They have served our country well and are still doing so by all they do for this Post. They have made our club one of the finest Posts in the area with their time and efforts and should be observed for doing so. They keep this ship afloat and hardly ever miss a meeting. They have moved us from a small Post to what we have become today as they continue find[ing] ways to make improvements. Remember, all our officers, work, have familys and problems of their own, without them our Post would have no direction. They deserve our respect and patience.

As for or Sons and Ladies Auxiliary. Attend meetings and don’t get frustrated if you can’t change the world in your first few meetings. Attend often and show your dedication, you will be recognized. Most of our officers have served many years and could use some help to give them time for other projects they may want to tackle. They work all day and continue their efforts here providing dinners and events. Our Ladies Auxiliary should be commended for all they do for our Post children. No holiday passes without their endless time and effort to make sure no Post child goes unloved. The Ladies and Sons have there own way of running there organizations and it has served them well. Be patient and you will be recognized.

Since we are going into a new year and have new members, I would like to go over some club rules. If you bring a guest in, sign them in! The ledger book is by the front door. Write yours and their name legibly, and then date it. This is not our club rule but a rule from National American Legion Headquarters. This is not to disrespect anyone in any way; it’s a matter of record for your protection and the Posts. We enjoy the guests that visit our Post, so take the time to protect and respect this important rule.

We have framed canteen rules Posted throughout the club. Make sure to review them occasionally so our canteen runs smoothly. Our bartenders do a great job selling tickets and doing books while serving their customers. Following the rules makes their job easier. You can have fun and observe the rules, just be aware to keep your behavior in check for the good of the Legion.

If anyone has a complaint, you have ten days to file it with one of our adjutants. The Post (Ron Whiting), sons (Ron Davis), or Ladies Auxiliary president (Cora Duruttya). The sooner you file your complaint the more dedicated it appears you are to addressing your problem. If you have questions we have many officers that attend the club daily so you can catch one to help answer any question you have. Complaints must be handled swiftly while still fresh in your mind. Ask a bartender for a complaint form, they are always behind the bar. Our adjutants work full time and many are part of other organizations so their time is limited and important. Write your complaint out on notebook paper before you put it on our complaint form. Make sure you supply details, dates and times with any occurrence. This is a good reason to attend meetings to become better acquainted with club rules. Our Post officers are at present working on drafting policy and procedures to help you file complaints.

Now let’s put business behind us so I can share with you a sweet story of how much you can learn if you listen. I was running around like a crazy lady getting organized for a wake we were having. I sat to take a break when a member pulled me aside to scold me. Our conversation started out by her telling me the ways of our Post roots. She spoke of the old Post and how much fun they had. The Post was poor at the time but they were rich in the fun they had as they worked together. The kitchen in the old Post was so small they had to pass the food out the kitchen window, to a line of customers waiting outside. They would cook, clean and prepare the food without moving two steps. They did it with joy, pride and laughter. I was told many other stories that day by many other members that joined in telling their different tales. I learned to stop and listen instead of running with blinders on.

I would like to thank the member who gave me my scolding. It was pat McCrone, who has taken over for our much missed Carol McFadden. Pat has done a wonderful job organizing our wakes and she has inspired a great team of members to help her. For years I thought I was helping the Post by organizing our wakes, only to find out many members wanted to be a part of them. I was doing without listening and Pat gave me a nudge to realize there are a lot of members who want to become more actively involved. That’s what our Post is all about. This team not only enjoys making sure the food is prepared, served and the kitchen is spotless. More importantly, they console the members that are grieving since they know them from the old Post. As I watch them at work they hug those that are grieving, they cry, they talk of their loss and eventually laugh a little. The person grieving had their burdens lifted in knowing they are not alone in there grief. I was also glad to see our Ladies Auxiliary Officers get a break because they would always and still do help to support those who have lost loved ones.

This letter has been a difficult one to write because I wanted to make sure to address issues without offending anyone. Everyday I learn more and more about how much this Post means to me. I want to assure all our members and guests that they are part of that meaning. I know most members already feel the same, but if you are on the fence there is nothing we cannot work out together. Talk to each other, learn from our mistakes and treasure our successes.

There is no problem without a solution.

No day without a lesson learned.

No soldier that is forgotten.

No veteran that should not be acknowledged.

No day without a blessing.

God bless our troops as we pray for your safe return.

Susan Tipton, Canteen Manager

THIS SPOT COULD HAVE BEEN YOURS!

If you are interested in writing an article for the newsletter, please feel free to do so. Give it to an Officer of the Post, S.A.L., or the Auxiliary. They in turn will read it and more than likely approve it, and forward it on to be published in the next newsletter. The newsletter is published four times a year.