News

By Donna Limric

The auxiliary supports the veterans and our communities so that they may be well. Most civic organizations have an auxiliary of some kind and the VFW is no exception. We raise funds, volunteer our time, and collect goods for organizations that serve our vets, military families and our community at large. For example, we raise money for National Home which is an organization that provides temporary housing for families and children in need. In addition, we volunteer at the VA hospital and send care packages to military posts.

The auxiliary promotes and celebrates patriotism through the proper care and retirement of American flags. On Flag Day and Veterans Day we post flags at grave sites of the heroes who have passed on. We offer scholarships to our youth for art, writing and community service that demonstrates what patriotism means. When our membership grows we can do so much more, and more is needed.

The VFW Ballard Auxiliary needs members. If you have a spouse, late spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, or child who fought in a battle in a foreign war in the American Armed Forces, you qualify to join the VFW Auxiliary. It costs $50.00 to join but our auxiliary can sponsor you if you are unable to pay the dues. The Auxiliary provides advocacy to our lawmakers on behalf of our veterans and our armed forces to protect and improve benefits for our veterans, armed forces and their families. Members in our ranks means more people who have an interest in veterans and military issues. Finally, more members in our auxiliary means that we have more people to provide all the services our community and veterans need.

So, what’s in it for you?  Being in the auxiliary is fun. You get to meet wonderful people who are dedicated to various projects. It is social. Last May I was involved in a group that hosted bingo for VA Hospital patients. We brought sandwiches, snacks, cake and ice cream. The patients got the chance to win vouchers for the hospital canteen. We had a blast! Last Memorial Day the post and auxiliary participated in a poppy drive in front of the QFC. People coming out of the store shared their stories of being a vet, or of the vets in their family. One lady from Britain shared her memories of doing poppy drives with her parents since she was a little girl. The auxiliary also has a scholarship program for members who face cancer that pays for treatment expenses. Your participation in the auxiliary would look great on a resume!

So, if you want to belong to a fun group of people who are dedicated to making a difference please consider joining the VFW Auxiliary. We would love to have you.

By Christopher Dresnek

Post 3063 is lucky enough to have a Victory Garden this year thanks to the hard work of Comrades Tiffany Cavin and Anthony Rose.

A Victory Garden is a meant to enhance national food production during war, and their war is on food insecurity. The state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food is what defines food insecurity, and as Comrade Anthony mentioned, it is something his friends and family have dealt with for a long time.

In addition to learning about Victory Gardens and food insecurity, Anthony also learned how to finally grow something besides tomatoes.

Comrade Tiffany will harvest vegetables before meetings

and have them available for pick up. She has tomatoes, corn, various squash, greens and many other tasty veggies to try.

Feel free to talk with her about her passion project, it has been a labor of love and one with which she hopes to spread the message about food insecurity.

Basic Life Saver Course

When Comrade Rose was in the military he was one of his brigade’s BLS (Basic Life Saver) instructors and went on to the same role at Madigan Army Hospital.  After he got out of the service it seemed a natural fit to be able to continue using those skills.

He came up with the idea of teaching BLS and making it a fund raiser as a way of giving back to the school who welcomed him so warmly upon his discharge, Seattle Central.  The scholarship is named for Anthony Diaz, the school’s Veteran Certification Official, and has raised more than $2,000 so far.

Please contact comrade Comrade Rose at antbrose@gmail.com to donate to the scholarship or take a future BLS course.

This is a recurring column that highlights new VFW Post 3063 members. Comrade Leo Potts joined the post in April 2018.

What motivated you to join the VFW?  I enjoy the camaraderie with other soldiers.

What is your military background? Originally enlisted as E–1 and was an infantry soldier, Was talked into joining ROTC and became an officer in 1987. Combat Engineer, got out in 1991, got back in 2000. Deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan, retired in 2015 as a major. There’s more but I don’t want to bore you.

Civilian job, education, family, hobbies, or anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?  I’m fully retired and what I do for fun is travel, vacation, help other soldiers get their benefits, and help other people travel and vacation more.

What do you hope to achieve being a member of the VFW? I want to be part of a family, military family, and whatever I can do to help the unit I plan on doing that.

Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063’s September 2018 e-newsletter is available here. Highlights include: Buy Your Fundraiser Tickets; Community Service Reporting; VFW Remembers Sen. John McCain; Disabled Veterans Will Soon be Able to Fly Space-A; and Veterans Committees Pressure VA to Conduct Cannabis Research.

Ballard Eagleson VFW Post 3063’s August 2018 e-newsletter is available here. Highlights include: VFW National Convention Trip Report; From the Auxiliary: Vacationing Vet; Comrade Al Simpson Receives the Ambassador for Peace Medal; Post and Boy Scouts Team Up to Retire Flags; Call Out For Fundraising Donations; and Victory Garden Update.