COMMANDER’S MESSAGE
Dear Comrades,
In the past six weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting five or six of you during post inspections. I have to say I was pleased with what I saw and heard. Many small posts are flourishing and doing things we do not hear about at the County level. One post has a sunshine club for its sick members. Another commander with 19 members reported four hospitalized, three sick, five snowbirds, and seven present. He could account for all of the members.
Trustee reports and community service reports are due. Many posts do community service and fail to file a report.
Additionally, we have several posts who fail to take advantage of the Poppy distribution program. There is no reason why a minimum order of 500 poppies can not be placed by each post. It can easily put $600 to $700 in your Relief Fund. If you need a place to distribute the poppies, call me and I will assist you in finding a spot. It takes four people to split shifts from 9:30 am-7:30 pm for 2 days to accomplish this.
Any post who has a 6-9 year old wishing to be part of the Poppy Princess program should contact me. Please be aware that the parents will have to travel to several parades and provide a white dress and shoes.
The Freedom Team program has expanded to a new category. Family, including children can now participate. To find out more, visit www.FreedomTeamSalute.com.
If anyone has knowledge of the whereabouts of the Monroe County Charter, please let me know. It has been missing for along time and we could use it at Monroe County Council.
Looking through some of the county meeting minutes from the late 40’s and early 50’s there were roll calls of 43 posts, 39 were present and only four absent. We now have 18 posts.
Enclosed is the announcement for the Commander’s Dinner. I would greatly appreciate your Commander, Quartermaster, and Adjutant attending. We will honor you and your officers as well as the auxiliary officers. It is a chance to see someone whom you possibly have not seen in years. It is in honor of you and your post. I look forward to meeting all of you.
Don Makely, Commander
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Dear Sisters:
Monroe County Council Ladies Auxiliary is doing wonderful with our Membership Program! As of today, Monroe County stands at 96.82%, District 8 is at 91.20% and as a Department, membership is currently at 90.56%. Thank you again Sisters for your efforts so we can soar like an eagle in our Membership Program. Please remember to carry a membership application with you… you never know when you will be able to recruit a new member. We are doing great in our programs as well. Monroe County Council should be 100% across all programs for the month of February. Great Job Sisters! However, please continue to report all your activities to our program chairmen.
February 14th is Valentine’s Day! Everyone likes to be someone’s valentine especially our hospitalized veterans. Maybe you can bring a card to your meeting; ask everyone to sign it with good wishes and forward it on to the Canandaigua VA Hospital so it can be posted for the veterans to read. Or, ask a Girl Scout or Boy Scout Troop if they can make some valentines to be distributed to the veterans. In addition, the Canandaigua VA Day Treatment Center always welcome donations or personal care items, hats, gloves, muffin mixes, cookie mixes, etc.
Have you sent your monthly birthday card to the VFW National Home for Children? You can also send a Valentine to them as well. Let our children of the New York Cottages know we remember them.
The Legislative/Spring Conference is scheduled for February 21-23, 2009 at the Albany Marriot, Albany, NY. I hope many of you will be able to attend this conference. Listed below are the items that are Spring Conference Program Requests. If you are unable to attend and want to send your program items, I will be glad to bring them on your behalf. Please have your items brought to Marita Fredette’s home, 32 Alfred Avenue by Friday, February 13th. – Cancer Aid & Research – Silk Flower arrangement in color of one of the cancer ribbons which will be raffled (Colors are: Pink, Red, Royal Blue, Purple, Orange, Yellow, Teal, Violet, Lavender, Burgundy, Kelly Green, Pearl, Light Blue) –Veterans and Family –Annual Poppy Contest—Ways and Means- $10 worth of scratch off tickets as well as an Eagle Item to be raffled. Community Service—Airplane Quilt Raffle tickets as the afghan will be raffled at the Spring Conf.
The next Monroe County Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 at 12 Noon at the Danforth Community Center, 200 West Avenue. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. The next District 8 Meeting will be hosted by Monroe County Council at the Danforth Community Center on Sunday, March 8th. I encourage representatives from each auxiliary to attend.
The Annual Monroe County Commander and President Dinner is scheduled for Sunday, March 29. The Annual Loyalty Day/Merit Awards Dinner is scheduled for Sunday, April 26. Please mark your calendars for these dates. More details for both of these events to follow.
Lastly, I ask that you please continue to keep our sisters and comrades in your prayers especially those that are ill.
I wish everyone a “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Always remember if “United We Stand for our Veterans and their Families” “Our Dreams become Rainbows”.
Loyally,
Karen
TONY’S MESSAGE
A new directive allows VA to provide glasses and hearing aids to those who are not service connected for those conditions (Priority Groups 6-8). In the past these were available only to those service connected for the condition. These services are now considered part of the preventive care package for all veterans enrolled in the VA who meet certain criteria. Contact the VA for the publication that outlines the requirements for obtaining eye glasses and hearing aids. Veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system are eligible for battery replacement and repair of hearing aids even though those aids were purchased from a private source. Even though glasses and hearing aids may be provided at no charge, there may be a co-pay required for those in group 6-8. Audiology is a specialty clinic with a $50 dollar co-pay charges for some services. There is no co-pay for the devices or the batteries. Nor are there any charges for visits for the purpose of adjusting, repairing or modifying hearing aids. [ Source: VHA DIRECTIVE 2008-070 dtd 28 Oct 08 ++]