Category: Volunteering

Post members distribute Buddy Poppies on Veterans Day

Gail Engler, Robert White, and Chuck Tuft distribute Buddy Poppies at QFC on Holman Road Nov. 11, 2016. Robert joined Post 3063 Nov. 10 and volunteered right away to help! According to VFW.org, “Before Memorial Day in 1922, we conducted our first poppy distribution, becoming the first veterans’ organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, as it remains today.”

 

Poppy volunteers

How the VFW stays tax-exempt: Community Service

By Harold Rodenberger

 

Since our founding as a federally chartered organization in 1899, our members have worked to help veterans and their families, to further patriotism and Americanism, and to help our communities. Because these goals are part of our mission the Internal Revenue Service has granted us tax-exempt status under the provisions of Section 501 (c) (19) of the tax code.

 

To maintain our tax-exempt status, each month we report community service performed by our members. Reports from the posts and districts are forwarded to and consolidated by the departments and from there forwarded to our national headquarters. To make these reports more complete we ask that each of our members forward qualifying actions so as much as possible can be included each month.

 

You might be surprised to learn that many things you do should be included so please make a note to compile and forward your contributions in the following areas.

 

Community Service: Activities that benefit your community, parks or neighborhood such as:

  • Recycling
  • Picking up trash
  • Beautification projects
  • Monetary donations to a local park, farmers’ market, or similar.

 

Citizenship Education and Americanism: Participation in:

  • Parades
  • Patriotic holiday events
  • Public ceremonies
  • Presenting flags or educational materials
  • Attending funerals
  • POW/MIA activities
  • Loyalty Day activities
  • Legislative activities
  • Flying the American Flag (please specify lighted or unlit)
  • Participation in Color/Honor Guard activities or placing flags on veterans’ graves.

 

Aid to Others:

  • Hospital and nursing home visits
  • Visits with senior citizens or house-bound neighbors
  • Donations of care packages
  • Helping to organize a blood drive or individual donations of blood, platelets or plasma
  • Fundraising or assisting to build handicapped ramps or other home repairs and transporting others to doctors or hospital visits
  • Donations of money or materials to the needy or thrift stores or other charitable organizations (please itemize so we can assign dollar values)
  • Donations to homeless or to organizations that help the homeless and other charitable causes such as the USO, cancer society, March of Dimes, etc.

 

Youth Activities:

  • Assisting at schools as guest speaker, volunteer coaching
  • Donating money, materials or time to support Scouts, children’s sports or band functions
  • Helping with Special Olympics or other help for special students or children.

 

Voice of Democracy, Youth Essay and Patriotic Art:

  • Donations of time and money to locate, encourage and assist students to enter the VFW Voice of Democracy, Patriot’s Pen, Youth Essay and Patriotic Art contests.

 

Safety:

  • Giving or attending classes or time and money spent to encourage safety, broken down by pedestrian, drug awareness, recreational, highway, fire or home safety.

 

Military Assistance:

  • Any support given to a military unit, individual, or family member
  • Sponsoring or attending “welcome home” ceremonies and other ceremonies honoring the military

 

Post pays a visit to hospitalized vets on Labor Day

VA Volunteers
Five members of Post 3063 and two community volunteers visited the Seattle VA Hospital on Labor Day to bring some holiday cheer to the patients. This visit they tried something new: instead of passing out drinks and snacks to the patients they passed out monetary chit books that could be used in the Veterans Canteen Service Store. Even the patients on restricted diets received something this time and all of them could choose whatever they wanted at the store. Pictured from left to right: Justin Mamallo, Dan Stokke, Sanu Chacko, Jessica Chacko, Gail Engler, and John Hoglund (Harold Rodenberger not pictured).

 

 

Post volunteers celebrate the 4th with Seattle VA

By Harold Rodenberger

 

On the Fourth of July several members of our post visited the VA Hospital located on Beacon Hill here in Seattle. We took drinks and snacks and passed them out to the patients and staff. Some who were on restricted diets only took a can of diet soda but others had their choice of various goodies. The favorites seemed to be Slim Jims and fruit drinks.

 

Post volunteers
Volunteers display goodies they passed out to patients and staff. From left to right: Russ Seelig, Bill and Carol Hoeller, Harold Rodenberger, Joe Fitzgerald, and Dan Stokke

More important than the goodies were the pleasant words and good wishes we passed along to the patients. We also thanked the staff members for working on the holiday when most other folks were celebrating the birthday of our country.

 

We noticed many empty beds this visit and found out that as many patients as possible are given a pass over the holiday to visit their families so they have a short break from their hospitalization. After the holiday they will be back in their beds for continuation of their treatments.

 

Those of us who visit the hospital or the various retirement and nursing homes always find it to be a rewarding experience. If you would like to join us on future visits send us an email, contact us via our website or call the office at  206-782-8618.