7th District commander’s July 2024 report
Greetings to all of my fellow Legionnaires.
To start off, I want to thank all of the members of the Mighty Seventh for the confidence you placed in me a year ago by electing me as your district commander, and to ask all of you to provide the same support, encouragement and kindness to our incoming Commander Carl Wilson.
I know he will do a fantastic job. Congratulations to all of the 7th District’s new officers and chairpersons. You will all do great things as you bring innovative ideas to the table. Use the resources that are available at both the department and national websites. Ask those who have held the position you find yourself in for mentoring or to simply ask questions.
This year has been a challenge for all of us. I am hoping that you all have made new friends within the Legion and brought a few new ones to us.
I am hopeful that this article reaches you before the Department Convention and that I have the opportunity to see many of you there. The convention offers many opportunities to see how the department works, how we as Legionnaires can affect change, offer new ideas and meet new comrades.
We have all served this great country of ours in many different ways. For that, I say, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice.”
Now is the time to remember those who we have lost, those who we have not seen in a long time, and those who we may find are in need of our support and encouragement. “Be the One,” check on someone you have not seen at your post meetings for a long time. Call them to say hello or better yet make a trip out to see them. Remember, “No One Left Behind.” Do those buddy checks.
To all of the members of the 7th District and beyond, it is your experience, knowledge, and willingness to serve that will make the tasks we face easier. We are a great TEAM.
To all of the members of the 7th District, I looked forward to your support, input and even criticism, because that is how we develop solutions and make things happen. Together we can and have done amazing things.
And now for some of the more tedious work, deadlines are coming up for reports that need to be submitted. Your post adjutant should have gotten many in the mail. Make sure you are completing the Consolidated Post Report as that is one of the documents the national commander uses data from when he reports to Congress about what The American Legion is doing. Remember to make copies of the reports you send in and send them to the person or place that is noted on the form.
A gentle reminder on my Commander’s Project and a big thank you to the posts that have donated to it. It is veterans helping veterans. I am to the halfway mark on the low end of my goal of $5,000 to $10,000 for the veterans at the Montevideo Veterans Home.
At the dedication in Montevideo, I had a cashier’s check presented to their administrator in the amount of $2,500. I am hopeful that some of you may still be talking to your post about donating to this endeavor. If so, please make your checks payable to the 7th District Commander’s Project, and mail them to me at 31693 733rd Ave, South Haven, MN 55382.
Again, I look forward to seeing many of you at the Department Convention as well as in the upcoming year, as I will be your membership director once again. Remember our strength lies in our numbers. Veterans Helping Veterans.