Post Dispatch: April 2018
From the Commander:
I hope everyone is hanging on tight during this wild ride that mother nature has us on. We might not be able to depend on the weather right now, but we can always depend on our Post to provide us with good food, good times and good friends.
Mark your calendars – This Saturday, April 14th will be the Official Grand Opening for the Outdoor Dining Area for Disabled Veterans. The event will start at 11 am with the ribbon cutting at 11:30. Music, food and festivities all day. I hope to see everyone there.
Monday, April 16th will be the monthly Post meeting at 7:30 pm. Nominations for all positions will be re-opened followed by elections.
Our VFW special event committee is hard at work planning a variety of entertaining events, community support events and much more! Check out the VFW Event Calendar located on our website for details as they become available.
Are you a FOTP (Friend of the Post)? If so, we have many opportunities for you to fulfil your volunteer hours required with your membership. Do you like to grill? Are you good with your hands? Do you prefer creating flyers or selling raffle tickets? We have something for everyone no matter what your skill set or talent. Please contact us at friendsofpost2801@gmail.com and let us know how and when you can help out.
Did you know we are on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn? Follow us on all of these social media platforms and check our website www.villaparkvfw.org to be the first to know about new events and other happenings at Post 2801.
Thank you to everyone for your support of Post 2801, I look forward seeing all of you at one of the many upcoming special events, celebrations or the weekly fish fry.
Respectfully,
Rick Schwerdtner, Commander Post 2801
From the Auxiliary:
March has gone by fast for our Auxiliary. We continue to do well with running the Kitchen every Tuesday night. Thanks to John Adamowski and his ever changing menu. We are starting our own Facebook Page as well, so keep eyes out for that. One of our younger members recently felt the Post was missing something that he remembered being at the Post every week on display. He took it up on himself to research and donate to the Post a “Missing Man” table or “Fallen Comrade” table (sometimes know as a MIA table). Thank you to Anthony Roder for this. Be sure to stop by on Friday for it is on display at each Fish Fry on the Oak Room stage.
The Auxiliary has purchased for display a “Battlefield Cross” (rifle, boots, helmet) for the Post, that is also on display on the stage as well. In the coming weeks we will be moving it to the main stairwell where Scott Lee, a FOTP member, is constructing a platform to be mounted to the wall and this statue will then be proudly displayed and lit. It will be flanked by 2 cabinets on each side to display memorabilia of our members, and below will be a large oak wall that will forever immortalize our members of the Post.
Be the first to know about upcoming Auxiliary and VFW events – be sure to “like” Villa Park VFW on facebook and follow us on twitter and Instagram.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting on.
Virginia Proffitt
Auxilliary President
From the Quartermaster:
The Post has reached 100% for Membership. Our X sheet has been completed. It has been a good year for the Post financially. Bingo attendance is now regularly over 100 people every Tuesday. This is in large part to a $13,000+ Fireplug Raffle Jackpot. Plus, we have very good food every week, courtesy of the Auxiliary. I encourage all members to come down to the Post and participate in our activities.
Thomas G. Forbes
Quartermaster
Range News:
This months RSO is John Popolis of the VFW. He is our RSO on most Monday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm. John also gives time at our weekly Bingo Games. Check the calendar and come and give John a visit, he is always looking to see new faces
Our Post Gun Show is Saturday April 21. Admission is $5, come check us out, and remember Mothers day is just around the corner.
We will be shutting the Range down on Monday April 30th to do a trap clean out. The range will be shut down for the whole day. We are also exploring shutting the range down to do some maintenance such as re-painting the floor as well as just a general “spring cleaning” and curtain replacement.
We have 2 gun raffles going on now. All tickets are available at the canteen bar. First raffle is for 2 firearms, first is a complete in box Glock 22 “Blue Line” Police trade-in and a Springfield Armory XDS Range Pack. Cost is $10 each and only 200 tickets will be sold. ONLY 80 tickets left so get yours now. And the second gun raffle is a special for the gun show. We are raffling off a Special Edition Henry Golden Boy in 22 LR engraved specifically for our Post. TICKETS are on sale now as well.
THANKS again to all our RSO’s who volunteer their time to staff our range on a weekly basis. We function almost 7 days a week. Watch for info on upcoming shoots.
Are you remembering the F in VFW stands for FUN? Well the V is for Veterans and the W is for WOW! Come check us out and have some FUN, talk to a few VET’s and say WOW what a great place.
The post sponsors shooting team that shoots NRA/Winchester Programs and meets every 1st and 3rd Sunday and we are considering expanding the shooting options. We have openings for more youth, if you know of anyone interested in becoming a team member please contact Fred Roder.
Check Range calendar on our web page www.villaparkvfw.org, hover over Range then click on membership to see all the new days and times when the range is staffed. Click on the name on any day and it will show the hours that an RSO is there. If on the calendar you do not see the range staffed at a time you would like to use or if you have any questions what so ever including membership or who can use our state of the art range please contact us at vfwpost2801range@gmail.com or 630-939-1278.
We of the Range Committee and our RSO’s are committed to giving our members a safe and fun place to shoot; as well as giving back to our post.
Fred Roder
To our Friends, Community and Neighbors:
Many of our Friends of the Post have found out that being a part of our Post is rewarding.
Friends of the Post have the honor of belonging to a very special Post. WE have things most other Posts do not. We have a relatively new members bar, rental halls, and of course a gun range that any member may use or rent. As an F.O.T.P. member all we ask is that you give back to the Post in ways of volunteering your time. It is our volunteers that make our Post so successful.
We have many opportunities to volunteer and we can always use ones help. WE have Bingo every Tuesday night where we can use help selling various games and cards. Thursday nights we can use help in our kitchen cooking or after wards cleaning up, We also need help on Fridays during lent with cooking, order taking, seating patrons, and of course cleanup afterwards. We even have ongoing projects around the building. DON’T let any of this stuff scare you off. We have many folks here who will be glad to show you how we here at the Post do things. SO come out and give us a hand, try something new, and remember you need not be Wolfgang Puck to cook, we welcome everyone. Our busy time of the year is fast approaching and that is Lent, where on Fish Fry Fridays we can use all the help we can get. So check out the many events on our web page www.villaparkvfw.org, or call the office and ask what you can do for your Post.
The Auxiliary has an email list of The F.O.T.P Members to keep them up to date of changes so if you want to get on the list email us at friendsofpost2801@gmail.com.
Remember all of us here are committed to giving our members a safe and fun place to come as well as giving back to our Post and our community
The Auxiliary of VFW post 2801