Post Commander

   I attended Fall Conference and it was great to see our organization coming together again.  We received several awards—For the third year in a row Post 2144 is an All-State Post. The Post also received an award for Outstanding Community Service and for our support of the Veterans and Military Support Program.  Jenna Schaub received the award for New Member Community Service.  This is the second year in a row that a member of our Post was awarded this prestigious award since Garrett Dickey was last year’s winner.  This year Garrett was named the Top New Member Recruiter in Michigan.  Post 2144 is continuing to make itself known in the State of Michigan!

   We are going to be serving breakfast the first Sunday of each month beginning November 1^st.  If the breakfasts are successful, then we will consider expanding them, but it will require more volunteers to step up and prepare meals.  If you are willing to prepare breakfast, or any other meal for that matter, contact Maria Cantu, the Club Manager.

   We will be holding a Veterans Day Ceremony in the parking lot on November 11^th at 11am.  The public is invited, and it would also be great to see our membership turn out.  If the weather turns bad the ceremony will be moved indoors.

   We have several great events coming up.  The Marine Corps Birthday Banquet, the Veterans Day steak fry, Christmas parties for both children and adults and the New Years Eve party proved that 2144 is alive and well.  Check your calendar and watch for flyers for details.  I look forward to seeing you all!

   I am so proud of all our Post and Auxiliary members.  I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and Christmas and an incredibly Happy New Year!  I know we will be glad to see the end of 2020!  Our growth will continue, our friendship will grow stronger and we will be a huge force in 2021 fulfilling our motto of Veterans Serving Veterans!

Michael Martin

Post Commander

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Auxiliary President

   Greetings Auxiliary Members.  Hope everyone is well and healthy.  Fall is here and cold weather among us.  Bingo is back and doing well.  We need volunteers to help.  Our Auxiliary is doing well and continues to grow.  We have 7 new members.  Welcome to them.   Membership is at 90.7% as of October 16^th.  If you have not paid your dues, please pay early and help make our Auxiliary 100% by the end of November.  Think about becoming a Life Member.  Thank you to all who have paid their dues.

   Thank you to Tracy Vredeveld Van Fleeren and Kay Moes for helping me to prep and host our first fundraiser, Rock Painting.  Thank you to all who came out and participated.  Continue to stay safe and healthy!  Hope everyone has a safe, great healthy and Happy Holidays!

Elisa Blauwkamp

                                                                                                               

Veterans and Family Support 

  Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family of Christine Scalf who passed away September 30^th.  Please keep the families in your thoughts and prayers. Never forget our troops in harm’s way. Keep them in your hearts and prayers.

Membership

  Dues are coming in.  If you have not paid yet, please pay by the first of December.  Welcome to our new members!

Bingo is back every Monday and Wednesday.  If you could help a couple of nights a month, please give me a call at 616-396-5415. It would be a great help.

Ellen Robinson

 

Dad’s Post 132

   We’ll have our next Post meeting after the first of the year 2021. Stay safe and healthy. —Hondo Robinson                           

Meeting Reminders

   Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 73 meets the 2^nd Tuesday of every month at 7pm.  All Vietnam Veterans are welcome.

   Vet to Vet support group meets every Wednesday from 630 to 730pm.  Veterans of every era are welcome to attend.

   Marine Corps League meets the Third Saturday of each month at 10am.  Everyone is welcome to attend.                                                   

Chaplain

   Sent Thinking of You cards to Gerald Brink in hospice and William Reicks in a home.  Sent sympathy cards to the Fierro, Ras and Scalf families.  Paul Scalf lost his wife, and he is in Medilodge.

Robin Bailey                                                                                           

House Committee

  Greetings everyone!  What a year your VFW is having.   Despite COVID-19 and the three months of closure we have been doing great.  Thank you to everyone who supports our meals and the other activities we have.  Without our members coming in to support our Post we cannot survive.  We are a quite different Veterans of Foreign Wars Post than we were 10 years ago.   We have transformed into a great restaurant for everyone to enjoy.  We have opened our meals to the public and they have been coming in.  We are seeing members we have not seen in years coming in and new members joining. We have come in a long way to becoming the fastest growing VFW posts in the State of Michigan.  It is a huge achievement that to be because of teamwork.

   A huge thank you to Gary Van Farrowe for volunteering with the front landscaping.  Thank you to Maria for being such a great club manager and doing such a great job in the kitchen and thank you to Vickie and the many other volunteers helping her. Thank you to Mark for all his work fixing and making numerous improvements.  Thank you to Jeff for taking care of the lawn.  We have many great volunteers helping and we thank them all. But we can always use more volunteers.

   This year we need EVERY member to help with membership so we can make 100% four years in a row.  We are paying $50 for any member converting to or joining to be a life member.  We still need 116 members to renew before June 30. PLEASE renew early to help your Post be 100%.  It does not change your expiration month, only the year of expiration.  Renewing is easy to do online at VFW.org or bring it into the Post to ensure you are given a receipt.

  Thank you for making VFW Post 2144 the great Post it is today.

Vern Blauwkamp

House Committee Chairman

 

 

 

Officers and Contact Info

Post: (616)392-2144

Commander:   Mike Martin (616)594-9151

Senior Vice:   Jenna Schaub (231)649-1745

Junior Vice:   Adam Cameron (309)212-1148

Quartermaster:  Garrett Dickey (937)570-8254

Chaplain:   Robin Bailey (616)994-2239

Auxiliary President:  Lisa Blauwkamp (269)206-1810

Auxiliary Treasurer:  Nancy Vredeveld (616)422-1403

Honor Guard:  Harold Kuipers (616)886-0462