ateeter – Page 58 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

Commander’s Corner (August 2020): WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THE FUNDRAISER!

By Joe Fitzgerald

In past years this has been a spaghetti dinner coupled with a raffle. COVID has changed things a bit. This year we are still having the spaghetti dinner via curbside pick-up! (with limited home delivery for those in the vicinity of our post). The dinner will be available on Sept 12th from 4:30-6:00pm, and the usual $20.00 ticket price remains the same. The number of dinners is limited to 150 so be sure and get yours early! Tickets are available from post officers, online at EventBrite (details TBA), or at the office during business hours 1:00-5:00 pm, Thursdays and Saturdays in August and early September.

To replace the raffle, the Committee has developed a fantastic Virtual Auction!

The auction items will range from books to boats to baked goods, and also will include some very special items. All bidding will be handled via BIDDING OWL! Go to vfwseattle.org and click on the virtual auction scrolling across the page to see how it works. It will be simple and easy to do, and a lot more fun than you can imagine! Quartermaster Harold Rodenberger (206-972-2135), Jr Vice Aly Teeter-Baker, and Committee Chair Russ Seelig will all be available to answer any questions.

***Here is the rub though, and where we need all your help to make this fundraiser as successful as possible!

Several of our benefactors who supplied many raffle items in the past, just are not able to financially support us this year or have even gone out of business!

WE ARE IN NEED OF ADDITIONAL AUCTION ITEMS! and – we need all your help on this. Like:

1) Reaching out to persons or entities that would be willing to donate an item to the Auction. (I recently contacted a butcher I know, and they agreed to donate a meat gift certificate!). This sort of thing is easier than you think! Tell yourself: JUST DO IT! The worst they can do is say NO!!!

2) Also, handcrafted items, artwork, or homemade baked goods, can all make nice auction items.

3) Tap into your creative inner self and come up with things like Comrade Stokke who dusted off his fishing boat and is providing a fishing expedition as an auction item! Maybe you welders out there could offer up some type of welding as an item to be auctioned off, and so on. You get the picture.

IF WE ALL PULL TOGETHER ON THIS, OUR SPAGHETTI FEED AND AUCTION WILL BE THE BIG SUCCESS THAT IT’S ALWAYS BEEN IN THE PAST.

COMMANDER JOE

Quartermaster Update for the ‘New Year’

By Harold Rodenberger

The first month of our new VFW year has passed under the same virus cloud as the preceding three months. Nonetheless our new officers are functioning well in their new positions and Post 3063 is becoming more familiar with conducting business remotely.

For access to our business meetings click on one of the Zoom links in the email sent out by our Adjutant. You will go to a waiting room to be admitted as soon as possible to the meeting. The waiting room screens out anyone who is not an authorized member of the VFW, and increases security.

Our third Thursday Social Dinners are still being prepared by Chef Kay. To order a wonderful meal via takeout or delivery, send an email to [email protected] or call Harold at 206-972-2135. The dinner in August will have a Greek theme; Greek salad, shish kabobs, etc., with vegetarian options available.

FUNDRAISER NEWS

As noted elsewhere in this newsletter, our annual Spaghetti Feed fundraiser for the Post 3063 Veterans Relief Fund is being held on the usual second Saturday, Sept. 12. This year, of course, we will be doing a take out (limited delivery) spaghetti dinner and on-line auction at the Bidding Owl charity fundraiser website.

The dinner will help raise funds, so is priced at $20 per ticket for Kay’s usual spectacular spaghetti dinner with trimmings and will be limited to 150 dinners. It will be available for curbside pickup in the post parking lot from 4:30 until 6:00 pm. Tickets are available from post officers, on-line at EventBrite (details TBA), or at the office during business hours 1:00-5:00 pm, Thursdays and Saturdays in August and early September. We will need a few more volunteers to direct traffic, carry dinners to members in their cars, deliver to home-bound members, etc. If you can help in that way, please send an email to [email protected] or call Harold at 206-972-2135.

Prizes for the on-line auction are needed. During the present virus situation, it is a little more difficult to get the usual businesses to donate so we are emphasizing innovative prizes that our members can donate. Please put on your thinking cap and see if there is something you can do, make, donate, etc., that would make a prize that others would want. Personal services, hand-made crafts, fresh baked products, etc., come to mind.

The auction site is biddingowl.com/BallardEaglesonVFWPost306. The auction will be open Saturday, Sept. 12 through Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. Be sure to register before the auction and prizes are being entered onto the site daily so check in and see what you need. Payment may be made via PayPal, check or cash at the post in order to pick up your prize. If you are bidding from outside the local area, please note that shipping costs will be added to any prize that cannot be sent in a regular envelope.

This auction is open to anyone who wants to bid so pass the word to friends, relatives and all members of the public who might be interested in bidding on some wonderful prizes to help support a worthy cause.

Post 3063 Officer Spotlight: Commander Joe Fitzgerald

This is a recurring column that highlights the 2020-2021 post officers.

Joe Fitzgerald, saluting, during the 2019 Wreaths Across America ceremony.

Tell us about your new position and what you hope to accomplish during your term.

As Post Commander, I will be working to ensure that we all move through the Covid Epidemic as cleanly as possible, so that we continue with the special programs and projects that are the heart and soul of the Post. We have an excellent team put together that is already moving forward with several of these efforts. – Scouting, Youth Service, Community Service, Buddy Poppies, and Fund Raising just to name a few. We are also renewing a commitment to support the Post Auxiliary and seeing its return to being an important and viable part of our Post. With diligence and a “Can Do” attitude we will regain recognition as an All American Post. Obstacles will always need to be overcome, Covid is just another along the way. Working together the post will not just persevere it will excel! This is my commitment to the Post

How long have you belonged to Post 3063 and did you previously serve in an officer position?

I joined Post 3063 in 2016 and took the Jr. Vice position within a year. The Post Color Guard was formed about that time and soon after Harold Rodenberger told me I was the new Color Guard Captain as well. I continued moving up the chairs and now to Post Commander.

What do you enjoy most about belonging to the VFW?

While I thoroughly enjoy the food that Kay Seelig continues to come up with, no doubt what I enjoy the most about being a member of the VFW is the comradeship – coupled with a sense of great honor and heavy dose of humility to be surrounded by people of such extraordinary service to their country. This I will forever cherish!