From the Desk of the Commander
Greetings Comrades! It’s still cold outside, but spring is in the air. We have some very exciting events coming up! One of those is our 2nd annual Community Awards Banquet being held on April 29th. This event will honor our Voice of Democracy and Patriots Pen participants, First Responder of the Year, and other outstanding community members. I highly encourage you to ask myself or Maria for more information if you’d like to attend.
At the January Post Meeting we made a decision to alter the way we distribute our newsletter. Due to rising costs, every member who has a valid email address will no longer receive a hard copy of the newsletter. Their copy will be sent to their email unless advised otherwise. All other members will continue to receive their newsletters in the mail. We will also be monitoring our dues more closely and will remove expired members from the mailing list as they drop off. Another great reason to upgrade to LIFE Membership. Monday through Wednesday, expect to have your Membership Card checked at the canteen for every visit, no exceptions. Events such as burger night and fish fries will be open to the public.
I’d like to thank all of our outstanding volunteers and staff for all the work they do at the Post. They work tirelessly so that we can enjoy a place just for us. There are too many to list, so next time you see them say thank you!
Garrett Dickey
Post Commander
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From the Desk of the Auxiliary President
Happy Almost Spring!
As Commander Garrett stated above, all members will need to show their member ID Monday – Wednesday at the canteen. Keep your membership card handy or save it on your phone through Malta.
Did you know our Auxiliary started in 1934? Today we have 346 members, yet we average 8-12 members at our monthly meetings. I would love to see more members at our meetings to share your thoughts and ideas on how we can support our veterans and our communities. In April, we will have our Officer nominations and elections. We need to elect 7 officers and 3 trustees. The secretary is an appointed position. That is a total of 11 positions we need to fill and need to be present at most meetings. If we cannot fill all these positions, we will no longer have an Auxilliary at 2144. Please think about joining us once a month.
Our Voice of Democracy winner placed 5th in the Department of Michigan at Mid-Winter Conference. She along with all the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen Post 2144 entries will be at the Community Awards banquet on April 29th. These youth wrote some amazing essays, a few you will be able to hear them read at the banquet. There is still time for youth to enter the Patriotic Creative Arts contests which have 2D and 3D art competition. Entry forms are at the front table at the Post. Entries are due March 31st. There is the Auxiliary National singing contest which is a solo vocal performance of the Star Spangled Banner also due on March 31st.
We still have a need for additional workers to help with Bingo on Monday and Wednesday nights. Even one night a month would be a great help.
Our upcoming meetings are Thursday March 9th and Thursday April 13th at 7:00 (election night), all members are welcome! We would love to see you and get your input to help veterans and serve our community!
Laura Kinne
Auxiliary President
Meeting Reminders
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 73 meets the 2nd 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 welcomed to attend.
Officers and Contact Info
Post: (616)392-2144
Commander: Garrett Dickey (937)570-8254
Senior Vice: Michael Mennes (616)402-3502
Junior Vice: Adam Cameron (309)212-1148
Quartermaster: Robin Bailey (616)994-2239
Chaplain: Ken Vanderwall (616)212-7570
Auxiliary President: Laura Kinne (616)283-9565
Auxiliary Treasurer: Nancy Vredeveld (616)422-1403
Honor Guard: Bob Van Dyke (269)751-8858
Social Media
Website: VFW2144.org
Facebook: Facebook.com/VFWPost2144Holland
Instagram: VFWPost2144
