Category: Post Business

Fundraiser update

By Russ Seelig

 

We are exactly 2 weeks from the Spaghetti Feed and Raffle and I wanted to give you all a quick update on where we are prior to our final meeting.  We currently have about 35 raffle prizes in hand with additional promised.  My experience has been that not all that are promised materialize and some that we never hear about beforehand show up at the event.  Nevertheless we are running behind where we have been in the past few years both in quantity and dollar value.

 

Our goal is to raise about $5,000 to add to our charitable contributions budget.  We make a profit of about $10/ticket, and if we sell the 150 tickets we normally sell that is a profit of about $1,500, leaving $3,500 to secure from the about 125 participants we have had in the past, or about $30 per person.  In other words we need additional quality prizes that we hope people will want to put numerous tickets in.  I do not know how many tickets have been sold to date, but I have distributed about 100 and an unknown number have been sold via the internet.

 

​The following is a condensed list of the prizes we currently have:
Restaurant Gift Certificates:  Alcove Dining Room, Olive and the Grape, Dick’s Drive-In, Uli’s Famous Sausage, Ballard Mandarin
Admission Tickets:  Mariners, Ride the Ducks, Everett Aquasox, Argosy Cruises, MoPop, Museum of Flight
Other larger ticket items:  Artwork, Instant Pot, Handmade Afghan, Tattoos, Salmon Fishing Trip, MacDonald’s Happy Meal display
Other items:  Interesting items that are hard to categorize.

 

Please come to the meeting with the proceeds from the tickets you have sold.  If you haven’t sold any please call your friends and neighbors and give them a chance to come and have some fun.  Please bring any raffle prizes you have gotten.  Contact me at 206-423-1150 if you have any questions.

National Convention Wrap-up

By Harold Rodenberger

 

The Veterans of Foreign Wars held its 120th National Convention in Orlando, Florida this year. Elected representatives from posts and departments attend these national conventions each year and when in session, the convention is the governing body of our organization.

2019 VFW Convention
Quartermaster Rodenberger, center, stands with other Washington delegates at the 2019 VFW Convention in Orlando.

 

Three members from our post attended this year; Sr Vice Joe Tiffany, representing Commander Pete Krawitz; Jr Vice Joe Fitzgerald and Quartermaster Harold Rodenberger. We participated in the business sessions, attended special classes of interest to post leadership, caucused with other representatives from our state and voted on proposed changes to our VFW Bylaws and Ritual.

 

In other sessions, awards are presented to special dignitaries, winners of the VFW Youth programs such as Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy are presented with their scholarship checks, All-American Commanders are given their awards and various speakers pass their wisdom to our eager ears. This year Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert Wilkie, updated the convention on news of interest from their departments.

 

To wrap up the convention on Wednesday, we elected and installed national officers for the ensuing year. It is always a busy four days and necessary for the continued functioning of our organization.

Quartermaster’s Update (July 2019)

By Harold Rodenberger

 

Welcome to our new VFW year. Last year was a busy and productive one with the building remodel (detailed elsewhere in this paper)  high on our priority list. We are moving into the new year with enthusiasm, determined to keep this project high in our sights as we as a post, narrow down the alternatives and arrive at a decision that will benefit the VFW, other veterans organizations, our community and, most of all, our members, present and future.

 

Congratulations to our new officers who were installed May 2 at the business meeting and took office last week, after our Washington State Commander was installed. I am confident they will continue the fine work of their predecessors and continue to lead the post toward our goals.

 

When I think back over the 2018-19 year, several things deserve special mention. Again this year, thanks to all who brought in new members, we achieved 100 percent membership. This time reaching that 100% mark by December 31st thus setting a new record for our post.

 

Our Post 3063 Auxiliary is enjoying a revival. President Donna is supported by a good slate of officers but they are still looking for active additions to their rolls so if you have qualified family members, please encourage them to join our auxiliary.

 

Our outgoing service officer, Leo Potts, raised money to take a group of veterans to Washington, D.C. to tour the military monuments and take a cruise on the Potomac River. Since he and Suzanne are moving to Spain in the fall, he has been helping our incoming service officer, Joseph Mesa, learn the ropes and continue to provide the same outstanding service to our members and other veterans that Leo, and before him, Gail Engler, have provided.

 

Our Post 3063 Honor/Color Guard participated in many ceremonies, including a graveside service for our 106-year old WWII member, Joe Small, when we braved a snowstorm to render proper honors to our departed comrade.

 

Remember the picnic scheduled for August at the Seelig’s place on Lake Serene. It promises to be a good time for all. Hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks furnished, bring anything else you want to eat or drink.

 

Happy Fourth of July! Remember, the business meeting in July is postponed from the 4th to the 11th.

 

Finally, THANK YOU for being a member of our post! It is only through your continued membership that we can support veterans’ goals at all levels, from local to national.

Farewell From the Outgoing Commander

By Pete Krawitz

 

This will be the last column I write as Post Commander. I first wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all once more for giving me the opportunity to lead the post for the last two years. It’s been a very fulfilling and challenging experience. I appreciate the willingness of many of the post members to try some new things, like modified meeting formats and leveraging more technology in our operations. Now, it’s time to hand off the gavel to Joe Tiffany, who I’m confident will bring a fresh perspective to the podium. I look forward to supporting Joe and the new leadership team.

 

Over the last 24 months, we’ve been able to work together to become the largest post in the Seattle District. We’ve built stronger ties with other VSOs, community groups, and local businesses. We are also slowly working on improving our business continuity practices and leveraging technology which will help make running the post more accessible for our current and future officers.

 

We have some exciting projects on the horizon and we’ll need all of the help we can get. Whether you’ve been a member of the post for 40 years or 4 months, there are various post officer positions and committees that could use your expertise. Talk to members of the leadership team if you are interested in helping out in any capacity.

 

While I have moved a bit further away, I still plan to stick with post 3063 for the foreseeable future, the community that welcomed me and my family to Ballard 5 years ago. It’s a community that I’m very proud to be a part of.

From the Commander (July 2019)

By Joe Tiffany

 

First I’d like to say how proud I am to be installed as Post Commander of Ballard Eagleson Post 3063. As I write this I am getting ready for the Department of Washington 99th State Convention in Vancouver, Wash. where I officially become Post Commander. I look forward to our upcoming year. We have many exciting items at hand. There are, and will be, many opportunities for all hands to be involved. Please don’t be shy; get involved and join in. If you have a question please ask. I am of the school of thought that the only dumb question is the one not asked.

 

Thank you to Commander Pete Krawitz for your two years of leadership and “always moving forward” mentality that you brought to our post. I’d also like to say a special thank-you to Jan (Pete’s mother) who is always going above and beyond with her help; and the unsung heroes – the House Committee and Trustees. Maybe not every member understands your duties or functions, but those that do are extremely grateful. That also applies to the entire leadership team. And last, but surely not least, is Quartermaster and District 2 Senior Vice Commander Harold Rodenberger who is the post’s backbone. Without his conscientious efforts, our post just wouldn’t be the squared-away post it is.

 

Thank you all.  I look forward to working with each and every one of you.