October Article

Greetings, Friends! Many reflected on September 11^th last month. Eight years removed, the effects still carry as a reminder of the importance of our national defense & the resilience of our great nation. If ever we find ourselves wondering why we served, why we continue to serve, & why we so vigorously support those who serve now, just remember 9/11. I hope all continue to find solace knowing that we are doing our part at Post 434 to make the world a better place. To business: A reminder that the Paid-Up-for-Life (PUFL) rates go up 1 October. These rates are set at a National level & the reasons stem from costs associated with the new monthly payment plan to let applicants pay small amounts for 36 months among other costs. We tried to find a way to ease the transition. We negotiated a “reduced rate” leading up to the 1 Oct. Unfortunately, we were only able to put it out in meetings, posters, & word-of-mouth due to the time allotted & approval process required. Next, our committees continue moving forward developing, taking charge of their areas, & gradually taking action. Everyone here is a volunteer & as volunteers, we must remind ourselves that in order to reengage these areas after not being in place for over a decade, it takes vision, time, commitment, & patience. For Children & Youth (C&Y), many efforts are underway. The James Rollins book signing on 22 September & events also with the WeeCare Pre-School & Zorbas Restaurant that, by time this is published, will have generated more for C&Y. Working with Auxiliary, this month’s Post 434 Halloween Safety campaign provides over 300 brochures to area schools for children & parents. For Americanism, an article was submitted to the local paper about our yearly education efforts & celebrating our ability to help send several seniors to college. We scrambled together with Auxiliary & SALs to provide $1000 to the Chula Vista Parkview Little League to help ease the costs of families traveling to see our World Series Champs win this year! We sure are proud of our Chula Vista boys & the way the community rallied to recognize their win. Was that great, or what! Also, National Security Committee contributed to September’s National Disaster Preparedness Month by passing out safety literature. Now, they are gearing up for the Law & Order Dinner this month. These are just a few mentions. Soon, you will start seeing their reports and their articles just letting us know what is going on & how we can help them. Lastly, a brief note about a “movement” online.=2 0Not everyone is into computers, but there is a large majority that are. To be where our members are, the Post is on the social networking site, Facebook! Post 434 on Facebook is growing rapidly. If you are interested, check it out free by searching for “American Legion Chula Vista Post 434” within Facebook.com (or just go to the website at www.LegionPost434org and click the Facebook picture). We’ve been leading the charge online because many young & older members are already there. Now, others are getting into the picture including Dept & National. We can always say, “We were there first!” Cheers! See you at the Post!