The Post veterans relief and community programs are funded entirely from donations received in conjunction with our semi annual distribution of “ Buddy Poppies” around the Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances.
Our Post Chaplain, Dan Doyle and the Relief Committee he chairs, which includes Jim Blossey, Carl Kurfuss, and Rose Gilliland, have prepared the following proposed budget for the current fiscal year, to be voted on at this month’s meeting.
My blatant plea for assistance went unheeded last month so I won’t try it this month. However, twice a year we raise in the proximity of $11-$12,000 which are the funds we use to support our veteran and current service member communities. Unlike a lot of requests you receive, our funds stay in our community for the most part and virtually all of it stays in our state. So if you can’t find the time to assist us in our Poppy distribution, consider drop-ping a check made payable to:
VFW Post 8870
PO Box 701
Edmonds, WA 98020
Remember that your donation is tax deductible and, better, not a single penny of our Relief Fund is used for administrative expenses with the exception of the purchase of Poppies which are made by veterans here in Washington State. We’d love to have your company when we distribute Poppies but your generous donation will be equally appreciated.
When I first became active in VFW, I was very hesitant to volunteer handing out Poppies on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. I overcame my reluctance when the Poppy Chairman one year almost broke my arm to get me to sign up for a shift. Since then, I don’t believe I’ve missed a single Poppy drive. Why? Because it isn’t like having a root canal, in fact, it is a very satisfying experience. Folks are down right friendly to us and you end up meeting some very interesting folks. In the past, I’ve met a woman who served in the German Army in WWII as a radar operator and fled to the Americans at the end of the war. I’ve met veterans who have served in every war from WWII to the present and sons and daughters of veterans including one who survived the Bataan Death march. I’ve had a Korean couple thank us for saving their country and best of all, we have handed out hundreds of brochures, primarily to school children, explaining why the Poppy is a symbol of Veterans Day.
We work in teams so you’re never alone and the shifts aren’t that long—typically 4 hours. All the funds we raise are dedicated to our Relief Fund and aren’t used to support the Post. So consider helping out because at the same time, you’ll really be helping out the various places we spend our funds like the NMS, Fisher Houses, and active duty military folks who need Christmas gifts for their children and can’t afford them.
We will be at several stores on November 7th and 8th. If you can help (and we no longer break arms like mine was), let us know. Call Bob Crawford at 206-909-4893 or email [email protected].
We are going to be handing out Buddy Poppies at the 4th of July Fireworks at the Civic Playfield. We need 4 volunteers (2 at each table) for a couple of hours of volunteer time. If you were one of those who didn’t participate on Memorial Day weekend, here’s your chance to help out the Relief Fund.
It is a genuine privilege to have been chosen to be your Commander. I thank you all for your support and ask for your continued efforts as we move forward.
I am more fortunate than most incoming Commanders in that I have two exceptional predecessors to guide me and—where need be—correct me: Fred Apgar and Jim Traner. What a comfort it is to know that I can fall back on the knowledge and wisdom of these two models of effective leadership. Comrade Commanders, your example has been extraordinary and has definitely set a high standard for the future.
I am also greatly encouraged to see the dedication and experience of the active membership of VFW Post 8870. You members are the ones that have made this post one of the best in the district, if not the state. No other post even comes close to generating the amount of revenue that we do from the distribution of Buddy Poppies.
More revenue means that we can do much more through our Relief Fund. As one of four members of your relief committee, I have been perhaps more closely informed about the various causes that we support. We have taken the job seriously, researching each organization in depth and not committing even one cent until we are fully convinced that doing so is the best use of our funds. I plan to stay on with the Relief Committee and will continue to exercise close fiduciary responsibility.
The motto of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is “No One Does More for Veterans.” At Post 8870 our relief efforts reflect that, either in direct veteran support, or in support of current active duty military or of local youth.Besides financial support, each year the VFW as a whole donates more than 13 million volunteer hours of community service. Post 8870 continues to carry more than our share of those hours. From a personal point of view I am proud and honored to be a part of such an organization. So as your new Commander, what could possibly improve on such a record? Actually, I have two items on my agenda; they will be the topic of my column next month. Stay tuned.
Buddy Poppy Program
A flower that evokes the memories and emotions of war is the red poppy, which became associated with war after the publication of a poem ” In Flander’s Field”, written by Col. John McCrae of Canada.
The VFW was the first veterans’ organization to adopt the poppy and develop a national distribution campaign. For more that 75 years, the VFW’s Buddy Poppy program has raised millions of dollars in support of veterans’ welfare and the well being of their dependents.
Today, VFW Buddy Poppies are assembled by disabled, needy and aging veterans in VA Hospitals and domiciliaries across the country and are distributed by VFW Posts and their Ladies Auxiliaries. The minimal asessment (cost of the Buddy Poppies) to VFW units provides compensation to the veterans who assemble the poppies, provides financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports VFW National Home for orphans and widows of our nation’s veterans.
“In Flander’s Field”
by John McCraeInIn Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.