Boots on the Ground
With Thomas Corder,
Commander VFW Post 5127
Regular readers of this column may notice that I have a new title. At the March meeting of Post 5127, I was nominated to lead the post as Post commander. Although I truly enjoyed serving as spiritual advisor to the members of the post as Chaplain, I could not, in good conscience, ignore the wishes of my comrades and, reluctantly, accepted the nomination. I was duly elected in April and assumed my new responsibilities in June.
Like all veterans, I am a strong believer in teamwork and it is my intention to promote teamwork within the post as we continue to serve the needs of veterans in McCreary County and, indeed, all of the citizens of the county. To that end, I have assembled a great cadre of professionals who understand their jobs and know how to do them. So, I am optimistic about the future of Post 5127 and anxious to share our good works with you in the coming months.
I am also a strong believer in transparency, and, with that in mind, I would like to say a few words about our post finances. Although attendance at meetings of Post 5127 is restricted to members of the post, we have nothing to hide from the public. As an IRS recognized 501(c) (19) tax exempt, non-profit organization, our books are open for examination upon request. A quick review of them will reveal that we are, indeed, a poor VFW post, at least, materially speaking. Unlike many posts, we have no canteen where alcoholic beverages are sold at a profit and operate no games of chance. We do sub-let a portion of the Jackson Building, which we do not own, to a local restaurant. This generates enough revenue to pay our liability insurance premium, but little more. So, the rest of our bills are paid with private donations, mostly from our members. We barely get by, from month to month, but that does not deter us from our mission of serving veterans.
Money that comes into the post treasury is earmarked for specific purposes. Utility bills are paid from our General Fund. We also have a Dues Reserve Fund which is tightly controlled and used in emergencies, a Building Fund that is used to finance repairs and a Relief Fund that exists, solely, to serve veterans. It is into the Relief Fund that all proceeds from our Buddy Poppy drives are deposited.
With the arrival of warmer weather, it is possible that you will see members of our post set up at local businesses for the purpose of distributing Buddy Poppies. We are always grateful to the businesses that permit us to do that. We are not permitted to sell Buddy Poppies, nor do we wish to, but any donations in return for a Poppy are used to assist needy veterans, or their families, and for no other purpose. Please be generous, and, I would remind you, that any and all donations to the post are fully tax deductible.
So until next time, take care and may God richly bless you. Always thank a veteran when you see one, for it is they who make it possible to live in this wonderful land of opportunity and freedom, called the United States of America.
