The Sons of the American Legion- Bill Nenno
The Sons of the American Legion held its monthly meeting Nov 19. In attendance were Gene Hill, Tillman Smith, Bob Nellis and Bill Nenno.
Membership
As with all of the American Legion Families, membership is our current big push. Our total membership for 2013 was 85 members. Currently, 57 members have paid their 2014 dues. This includes seven new members. The new members are Bobby Brewster, Steve Faykus, Philip Capriotti, David Magee, Joseph Meyer, Jason Narvaez, and Jayden Tapp. Welcome to all of them.
We have 57 members paid for 2014 with seven of these members being new members. This means approximately 60% of 2013 members have signed up for 2014. This leaves 85 – 50 = 35 2013 members who have not renewed their dues for 2014. The deadline for renewal is drawing near. If you do not renew by January 1, 2014 you will not get a new key card and your old key card will no longer open the door. In addition to time being short, I will be gone from before Christmas until past New Year’s. During this timeframe membership will be handled by Gene Hill
As always you can pay your dues a number of ways. You can give them to any S.A.L officer, give them to any bartender or even mail them. If you give your dues to one of the bartenders, they will put your money and receipt/application in the S.A.L envelope which is cloistered behind the bar. If you are local I will generally put your card back in that envelope and you can simply wait a few days and ask the bartender for your card. This saves us about 50¢ for stamps and envelopes etc. If you are from out of town, or even if you are local and request it, I will mail your card to you. Just make sure you let your wishes be known when you pay. For those of you who choose to mail your dues remember our address is:
S.A.L
Post Office Box 1073
Elephant Butte, New Mexico 87935-1073
Veteran’s day
November 11 is always a special day: the 11thmonth, 11th day, 11th hour. This date and time hold special significance to veterans. Once again the S.A.L was honored to present the Sons of the American Legion flag at the ceremony at the New Mexico State Veteran’s Home. To show our support in a practical vein the S.A.L donated $300 to the residence’s canteen. This is money specifically earmarked for the residents to use at the canteen to purchase any items they desire. Additionally, the S.A.L voted to donate $100, to be used at the Veteran’s Home administrator’s discretion to help support this celebration
.American Legion Child Welfare Foundation
The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation (CWF) is a special project for all S.A.L squadrons. Last year the National S.A.L donated over $640,000 to the CWF. The S.A.L National goal is the donation of at least $1.00 per member with a100% participation for every squadron. According to the National Update, the official S.A.L publication, the national average donation is $1.28. We voted to make a donation of $200 to the CWF. This is an average of $2.35 per member. If every Sal squadron in the state in New Mexico were to do the same this would put New Mexico in the top 10%. According to the National Update, South Carolina, with a $2.21 average donation per member, is currently 10th. We may never top Mississippi with an average donation of $9.53, but I challenge all squadrons to match our effort and see if we can get New Mexico into the top 10%.
Children and Youth
Like Kamagra, Silagra is also very effective for ED treatment. generico cialis on line This is the reason that you should setup your generic 10mg cialis goals with rules of life to achieve heights of success. Medicines prescribed to cialis sale treat erectile dysfunction are available only after providing a prescription. But, if you are unable to get an viagra uk delivery Read More Here erection, this generally gets subside after persuaded duration since of blood run & hormone levels. Children and Youth is another of the special projects for all S.A.L squadrons. While Children and Youth are broader in scope than the CWF, like the CWF its mission is to help children. The Post #44 S.A.L Squadron was pleased to donate $200 to this worthwhile endeavor.
Sierra County Cancer Assistance
Closer to home, but just as worthwhile, is our own local Sierra County Cancer Assistance. The mission of SCCA is to support local cancer patients. We are honored to help this worthwhile cause with a $200 donation.
Christmas Luminaria Walk
The S.A.L voted to make a $100 donation to the make a wish foundation which puts on the annual Elephant Butte Luminaria Walk. At this annual event the Legion joins all of the other public spirited groups in handing out food and drink to passersby. The S.A.L voted to donate $100 to help defray costs of this food and drink. It is our way of playing just a small part in the spirit of Christmas and good will toward men.
Sierra Santa
In the same spirit of Christmas the S.A.L voted to donate $200 to Sierra Santa. For those of you who may not be aware, Sierra Santa is put on by Lion’s International. It is held in the county fair building and is a very large event. I was involved with this event a couple of times and was amazed by its scale. Literally hundreds of boxes filled to the brim and overflowing with food are given out. Additionally the children wait in line to see Santa and each one receives a gift. If you ever once attended and saw the look of delight on the children’s faces….
American Legion Post 44
Last, but certainly not least, we voted to donate $1000 to help defray recent costs for the post’s air conditioner replacement etc.. All of the groups are scrambling to do their part. Recent 50/50s, the currently ongoing silent auction, dinners and numerous other events are being held for this cause that hits very close to home. As a result we voted to donate all of the monies received by the S.A.L generated from the Annual American Legion Family Golf Tournament and additionally to add whatever amount is necessary to bring the total to $1000.
S.A.L Dinner
Tentatively another of the Deon and Donnie Sunday dinners has been scheduled for January 5. I say tentatively because Donnie and Deon are out stocking the larder by stalking the wily New Mexico buck. When they return we will make sure this date is OK with them. If it is not, this event will be rescheduled so simply keep an eye and an ear out for any changes. Last I heard the dinner was to be fried chicken, which sounds great to me. My momma’s people were from the south. She was from a family of 11 and while they were very poor in terms of money they were rich in terms of tradition. Fried chicken for Sunday dinner was one of those traditions. On more than one occasion, being my Uncle Carl’s favorite nephew, I got to personally select the chicken/chickens. When I was about six years old my Aunt Lucy suggested that perhaps I might be traumatized by having to select the evening’s repast. Little did she know that my love for fried chicken far outweighed any other considerations. As an adult and a biologist, I’ve had to come to grips with this philosophical conundrum of life. While I have a spiritual bond with all living things, I feel very comfortable in my role as an omnivore… And I still really love my fried chicken!!
Next Meeting
We will not be holding a meeting for December. Our next meeting will be held Tuesday Jan 19, 2014 at 6:30 PM at the Post. The S.A.L. meetings are always held on the third Tuesday of the month and all are invited to attend.As always, remember that organizations are not really organizations, they are just people. Help out when you can and when you see them, thank those that do help out and let’s all work together for the common good.
Thanks for supporting our Post, our Community and most of all —the Veteran