Post Business – Page 41 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

From the Commander (January 2018)

By Pete Krawitz

2017 was an exciting year for Post 3063. When I began my journey as your post commander six months ago, I laid out four critical priorities; Membership, Community, Accessibility / Continuity, and the Auxiliary.

On the membership front, at the time of writing, our post sits at 88%. We need about 16 new or reinstated members to at meet the 100% goal. I’m confident we will make it. While my stretch goal of 150% may not be attainable this year, I have no reason to doubt that we can double Post 3063’s current membership count (currently 142 members) in the next 2-3 years, especially as our city continues to grow at this rapid pace.

In regards to the auxiliary, there are still many unknowns and we are still without an auxiliary president. A few individuals have expressed interest in taking on the role; however, we will know for sure after the special elections that will take place on Jan. 4. Our auxiliary has the potential to be a very critical and active partner once more. Whatever the outcome of this election, I ask that we all be patient and supportive of the new president and our brothers and sisters in the auxiliary.

I couldn’t be more impressed with our community outreach this year. Our color guard, under the leadership of Jr. Vice Commander Joe Fitzgerald, has been in high demand and busier than ever. We also have a new VA hospital visit coordinator (Comrade Guncay) and continue to make our regular visits to the patients during the holidays. Even some of our new members (Comrades Cavin and Rose) immediately jumped into helping the veteran community and represented Post 3063 by volunteering at the recent Seattle Stand Down event. These are just a few examples of the excellent community work our post members have engaged in this year.

Regarding accessibility and continuity, this is what most of the leadership team is going to be focusing on over the next six months. I have asked the leadership team to start documenting some of our processes. We are going digitize our records and create templates that will make running the post a little less daunting for those considering taking on a post leadership role in the future.

Change, no matter how small, is never easy. I’m very thankful of everyone’s support, guidance, patience, and most importantly, the willingness to test out some of the changes we’ve implemented this year (meeting format, projector, etc…). While none of these changes are necessarily set in stone, I believe many of these slight modifications are the first few steps to make our post more resilient and able to continue operating for many years to come. With that being said, we still have a lot of work to do in 2018. I look forward to your continued support as we continue to solidify our presence as Seattle’s premier VFW post in this rapidly changing city.

All the best to you and yours in 2018. Happy New Year, Comrades!

Zoom Software Digitally Connects Members to Post Meetings

By Charlie Anderson

Recently, Commander Krawitz invited me to test Web conferencing software to view monthly post meetings because we now live in Montana. Later, Pete asked me to write an article about my experience.

On Nov. 9, I sat down at my PC in the den of our mountain home and downloaded the necessary small application. I put on headphones, logged into the conference site and prepared to watch. For the next 90 minutes or so, I heard everything that happened in the post meeting. With a few exceptions everyone who spoke was very clear.

With video conferencing remote users can listen, watch and communicate during the course of the meeting by text or voice. If a secure authentication system were created to verify legal membership it might be possible to participate in votes. Implementing this last feature probably would need a bylaws change.

To use this program effectively you need either a PC or Apple computer, a laptop/pad or Smart Phone. Lacking one of these, you still can listen to a meeting with a landline or wireless phone.

Using conferencing software from your home or office is easy—almost a no-brainer. Given the percentage of the total membership typically attending meetings when I lived in Seattle (around 20% I think), live video meetings could be a way for members who don’t or can’t make monthly meetings to regain some sense of participation. It might even encourage some to get back into active involvement.

Give it a try!

From the Commander (December 2017)

By Pete Krawitz

November, as predicted, was a very busy month for the post. Comrade Guncay coordinated this year’s Veterans Day VA hospital visit. It was one of the biggest turnouts we’ve had in recent years with over 20 volunteers. I’d like to thank all that attended to include our sponsored Boy Scout Troop, Magnolia / Ballard Troop 80, who came out in full force this year. Our color guard was in high demand and took part in a few events. Additionally, some of the leadership team members have been working closely with the district leadership team to plan the future of our Auxiliary.

As many of you probably already know, our longtime Auxilary President, Margaret Phillips, stepped down from her position as of 1-November. We are now looking for someone to pick up where Margaret left off and lead the Auxiliary. There will be a special election held during the next Auxiliary meeting on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. Please get the word out! Remember, it’s not just spouses that are eligible for the auxiliary. Please visit https://vfwauxiliary.org/join-us/eligibility-information/ for the eligibility criteria.

The holidays give many of us an opportunity to slow down a little and spend some time with our friends and family. When Clare and I first moved to Seattle in 2014, our closest family member was over 2,000 miles away. While this was nothing new, especially after numerous overseas assignments, this was the first time celebrating a holiday without our military family. I’m thankful we found Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063. The special holiday social events, in particular, have been the source of some great memories and friendships. Hopefully, many of you will be able to make it out to the post on the Dec. 21.

On a more somber note, our charter will remain draped in December to mark the passing of yet another one of our WWII veterans. Comrade Herb Leake recently passed away. During the holidays, please keep the families of Comrade Leake and many of the other Comrades that we have lost this year.

Clare and I would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Boy Scouts Receive Donation from Post

By Gail Engler

Troop 80 from Magnolia attended the post social Nov. 16, 2017 to accept a $150 donation from Post 3063.

The troop was represented by eight Boy Scouts, Post 3063 member Elizabeth Servey, who is the troop’s Advancement Chair, her husband Brian Servey, and Molly Mort, both Assistant Scoutmasters.

The Troop is very active, especially during the spring and summer months when they hike, camp, and work on their outdoor survival skills. Comrade Servey said the money will be used to purchase more camping gear, which will be put to good use during their outdoor adventures.

On Veterans Day these scouts also helped with the post’s visit to the VA hospital. They are all very eager and enthusiastic!

Boy scout presentation — Boy Scout Troop 80 accepts Post 3063’s $150 donation from Commander Pete Krawitz Nov. 16, 2017.