Commander’s Corner (August 2023)

By Alyson Teeter

Greetings comrades, I hope you’re enjoying the lovely PNW summer. Post comrades had fun in the sun while participating in the Ballard SeafoodFest in July, where we interacted with the local community and visitors from near and far. We’re also keeping up our social events, like trivia in July and our annual picnic August 19 at the Seelig’s house on Lake Serene. If you’re in town and available, please consider joining in on our events! It helps build bonds and keeps our community going strong. I’m open to new and creative ideas for socials too (comedy? bingo? karaoke? sip and paint?!).

If you’re looking for service opportunities, there are plenty of projects we could use help with. First off, we need folks to help staff our office on Thursdays and Saturdays. If you could devote an hour or two a month, we’d be grateful! Also, is there anybody handy with a weed wacker? We have a lot of growth in the back of the post that could use some trimming. We’re also hosting a service event with The Mission Continues September 16, which will include more landscaping work and lounge upgrades. Lastly, consider helping with our fundraiser October 21. The proceeds from the event will help us purchase a new flag pole, fund youth scholarships and replenish our relief fund.

I want to call out our post and auxiliary volunteers who helped move the new and old refrigerators. It was definitely more than a 2 or 3 person job so the extra hands made it much easier! As my kids say, teamwork makes the dream work.

Stay safe, and as the military says, these are the 101 critical days of summer. Due to risky activities, summer is a time where there’s an increased need for blood donations and we’re hosting a timely blood donation drive August 3-4, at our post. See details in the newsletter.

PSA from the VA: There’s no deadline to apply for PACT Act benefits. But if you file your PACT Act claim—or quickly submit your intent to file—by August 9, 2023, you may receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022. So don’t wait, apply today.