Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063
"No One Does More for Veterans"
Last month during our Department of Washington Mid-Winter Conference in
Yakima, Dan Waldschmidt, our Ballard Eagleson middle school teacher of the year, was announced as the VFW Washington State Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Dan teaches Social Studies and History at Hamilton International Middle School. He received a $1,000 check and is now competing for the VFW National Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Good Luck at National, Dan!
By Alyson Teeter
Members of Post 3063 traveled in the snow to attend the annual VFW Department of Washington Mid-Winter convention in Yakima Jan. 17-18, 2020.
Commander Joe Tiffany, Sr. Vice Commander Joe Fitzgerald, Quartermaster Harold Rodenberger and Adjutant Aly Teeter were in attendance and sat in on business meetings, breakout sessions, and a banquet that recognized the department-level essay winners and teacher and first responder award recipients.
Post 3063’s Teacher of the Year, Dan Waldschmidt from Hamilton Middle School, won at the Department-level and his award was presented to the District 2 Commander, Carl Christophersen. According to the VFW, the VFW Teacher of the Year award contest recognizes exceptional teachers for their outstanding commitment to teaching Americanism and patriotism to their students.
Quartermaster Harold Rodenberger accepted a recruiting award for the numerous new members he’s brought into the post this year. Well done, Comrade Rodenberger!
The Voice of Democracy winner, Gabrielle DeMarco from Enumclaw High School (sponsored by VFW Post 1949) read her essay to the audience. She’ll go on to compete at the national level and will attend the National Convention this summer.
Adjutant Teeter attended the membership break-out session and captured these highlights from the presentation and discussion:
– Heroes in the Ballpark is coming up April 24 in Tacoma. They need donations.
– Community Service Reports: Necessary for non-profit status.
— Ideas for reporting: collect verbal reports at business meetings; display wall calendar in post and people can pencil in what they did.
– Post 3063 is now the largest post in District 2.
– We can also donate to local school/community projects; will help spread the word about our presence and involvement in the community. One post donated money to building a community playground.
– Invite local schools to have fundraisers at the post.
– Make the VFW fact sheet a placemat for fundraisers.
RETENTION:
– Present opportunities to new members. Have 2 members dedicated to sitting down with newbies and explain how things work at the post. Ask, “What committee would you like to be on?” Don’t force them to do volunteer though or else they’ll leave.
– Give post t-shirts instead of caps to new members.
– Highlight VA benefit changes through newsletters, SM posts, etc.
RECRUITING:
– Boat shows, markets, fairs, etc. Always have a service officer present. Bring prospect forms so you can contact them again to join.
— NOTE: We’ll have a booth at the Seafood Fest again. Contact Joe Tiffany to sign up!
– Challenge post members to recruit at least 1 new member a year. Give those who did a special button (“I got one.”) and invite them to a celebration dinner.
Congratulations to the following students who won the the annual VFW Youth Essay contests for Post 3063! They received a cash prize and also went on to compete at the district level.
The winning essays are linked to their names below.
Voice of Democracy: Jessica Chacko (also placed 2nd in District #2)
Patriot’s Pen: Chloe Sow (also received honorable mention in District #2)
Youth Essay: Luce Hart
The Post 3063 Teacher of the Year, Dan Waldschmidt, placed first at the District #2 competition and will go on to compete statewide. Dan is an 8th grade social studies teacher at Hamilton Middle School in Wallingford.
By Alyson Teeter
VFW Post 3063 hosted its Annual Spaghetti Fundraiser and Raffle Sept. 14, 2019. The annual tradition, which has been held at the post hall for a number of years, brought in $6,264.20: an increase of nearly $500 from 2018!
The net proceeds will be deposited in the Post Relief Fund, which benefits a variety of causes, from local veterans in need — including those at the Seattle VA hospital — to the VFW’s National Home for Children.
As in past years, the hall was jam packed with comrades, family members, and friends due in large part to the Seelig family. Comrade Russ Seelig, Chef Kay Seelig, and their family performed a bulk of the work, from organizing the raffle to cooking the food. Their dedication was obvious by looking at the quality of raffle items, the large turnout, the taste of the food, and the comradery felt by all.
Thank you to all who volunteered and attended; please come again next year!