American Legion Post 330 New Haven, IN
Spring, 2022 Newsletter
Commander Notes:
It has been a while since our last newsletter. I hope everyone had a safe winter. We are all looking forward to a nice warm and sunny spring.
To start off, I want to thank Bill DeVore for all these years he has done our finances. He is retired as of June 30th. He and Steve Sowers have done an awesome job without being paid a cent!
Thank you to those who came to our “picnic” in October. We had a good turnout. Thank you to Post #47 for catering the meal.
We are into gathering nominations for officers. All positions are open at this time, except the ones that are automatic. This means that the 3 year board members go to 2 year and the 2 year goes to 1 year. Please contact Larry Beardsley or Jeff Herman if you wish to run for an office or better yet, come to the meetings.
Everyone thinks we need a building. I wish you could have been to the meeting where Rob Burkhart (Northern District Vice-Commander) talked to members about how his Post has not had a building for about 12 years. He explained that you can still do a lot of good for the community and the Legion if you stick together and do the work
Just a reminder that members of all Legion families are invited to meetings, which are on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Moose Lodge in New Haven.
Let’s all stick together and get the offices filled so we can keep our Legion together.
Thank you and God bless you!
Ed Klotz, Commander
From the Adjutant:
We still have a number of members who have not paid their 2022 dues. If you have not paid 2022 dues, you are in a grace period until June 30 of this year. After that, you will be considered as an inactive member and it will take a bit of work to restore your active member status and to restore your years of continuous membership. Dues can be sent to:
Adjutant
P.O. Box 456
New Haven, IN 46774
In a related matter, the National Headquarters sends out dues notices periodically. For reasons we here at Post 330 cannot control, a member who has paid their annual dues may receive a second (or even third) dues notice. We have had several members pay dues in response to one of these notices even though they may have already renewed their membership. Please check your records before you respond to a 2022 dues notice. And, finally – the American Legion membership year ends on June 30. As of 1 July, 2023 dues will be payable.
Annual Meeting Notice:
This notice shall be considered to be the notice required by Article II, Section C (Calling the Annual Meeting) of the By-Laws of American Legion Post 330, Revised April 2011:
The annual meeting will be held on the first Tuesday of June, June 7th at 7:00 PM at the Moose Lodge at 432 Broadway in New Haven, Indiana. At this meeting, officers for the 2023 Fiscal Year will be elected by secret ballot. Candidates for elected offices will be presented by the Nominating Committee and nominations may be submitted from the floor.
Nominating Committee:
Candidates are being sought for the elected offices of Post 330. These offices are:
Commander
First Vice-Commander
Second Vice-Commander
Third Vice-Commander
Adjutant
Finance Officer
Member-at-Large (Three year term)
Even though we do not have a building with a “Post 330” sign on the front, we do not stop functioning as an American Legion Post. The purpose of the American Legion is to support and help veterans, not run a diner or a bar. We need to find officers that will help us focus on this mission.
We must have three critical offices filled to keep our Post Charter; Commander, Adjutant and Finance Officer. After many years of serving as our Finance Officer, Bill DeVore has regretfully informed us that he will no longer act in that role next year. Ed Klotz has also indicated that it is time for someone else to take over the role as Post Commander. Larry Beardsley has agreed to continue as Adjutant, but there are a number of offices that need to be filled with people who are willing to make Post 330 an organization that acts as a Veteran’s Service organization – not a bar and short order restaurant. We need people to fill these offices!
It is time to step up and act – or to admit that we have lost our focus and turn our Charter back to the Department of Indiana.
Sons of American Legion (SAL) Notes:
The monthly SAL meetings for Squadron 330 have been combined with the Legion meeting and it is 7:00 p.m. on the 2th Tuesday of each month at the Moose Lodge in New Haven. We really need members to attend the meetings! They are informative and will keep you up to date on what is happening with Post 330.
The Squadron 330 Scholarship applications are available and due back to us by April 15, 2022.
The 2022 Membership Cards can be renewed by sending your check to the following address:
Squadron 330 Membership
PO Box 456
New Haven, IN 46774
Make sure to include your membership number and address so we can mail your new card to you.
Current dues are $33 and Dual Members (Legion & SAL) or Juniors are $13
If you would like to receive notification of official Squadron business by email, please send a message to squadron330@yahoo.com and we will add you to the list.
Remember, Every Card Counts!
Paul L. Rush
Squadron 330 Commander
American Legion Riders (ALR) Notes:
If you are not aware, the Riders disbanded this fall. We are sorry to see them go.
Auxiliary:
Thank you to all who donated items for the bake sale at the “picnic” in October. And thank you Ruby Bultemeyer for getting this organized! We made about $350.00.
If you have not paid dues yet, please do so soon. Dues are $30 for seniors and $7 for juniors. We currently have 152 paid members. You may send dues to Brenda Doster at 1125 Lake Pointe Cove, Ft. Wayne, 46845.
The Legion adjutant, who happens to be my husband, has included Auxiliary members in his Legion email list. Hopefully, those of you who have not given me that info are receiving Auxiliary notes from your significant others who are Legion members. I am posting Auxiliary news on the website: AmericanLegionPost330NewHaven.org. Check it out for this month’s meeting minutes. You may still send me your e-mail address: beckyjobeard@aol.com
I have looked into other places to have our meetings. The New Haven Library has just added evening hours after COVID, so I will call there again. The Moose has a big drawing on Wednesdays and gets pretty loud and busy. The New Haven Community Center, typically, does not let organizations meet there on a regular basis. However, we did get permission to meet there in May. Our next meeting is May 18 which will be held at the New Haven Community Center. It is behind McDonald’s on Highway 930 in New Haven. It will begin at 6:00 p.m. and snacks will be provided. Just a heads up, our June 18 meeting will be at a restaurant. We will plan for this in May.
The Auxiliary members are going to collect non-perishable items and paper products for the VA Hospital in Ft. Wayne, as well as snacks for oncology patients. Please bring these items to the May meeting. If you would like to donate, you may also call Marilyn Herman at 749-1218 or Becky Beardsley at 749-1795 to drop off your items. The list will be posted on the Legion website under Auxiliary.
May is Poppy Month. You will be receiving the annual poppy letter. (Thank you Keri Barbier for doing this again.)
Please consider making a donation. This money goes into our restricted fund and can be used for veterans only. We will look into selling poppies at Do-It-Best this year and will also participate in the Memorial Day service at Schnelker Park.
As stated in the Commander’s report, we don’t need a building to remain a Unit, we just need to stick together. To do this, we need you to come to meetings. Out of our 152 members, only 4-6 attend meetings. And with that said, it is time to elect officers. Please come to the May meeting to choose your officers for next year.
Becky Beardsley
Auxiliary President