Thanksgiving is upon us. This holiday is the gateway to the holiday season and a time designated for us to reflect with gratitude. I know that I am grateful for this family of folks in the American Legion. To think that 4 years ago, I had no idea what this organization was. Now, the organizations’ missions are my own. I aim to help move this Legion forward, for the next 100 years. I have made countless friends and had opportunities to serve that have enriched my life. I am truly thankful for The American Legion.
The communities we serve are thankful for the blood drives and food drives that you do. They are thankful when you feed those who are hungry. They are thankful for the opportunities that we give to the youth and the honor we bestow on warriors of past conflicts. Our contributions matter and we all have so much to be thankful for.
As I go to Districts and Posts and Areas, I often speak of our duty to veterans, as well as to the “community, state, and nation”. Without fail, everyone in the room acknowledges that our existence is beneficial to veterans and our communities. With that agreement, I ask them all to take the next logical step and recognize that if we are not introducing this great organization to every veteran possible, then we are doing a great disservice to them and to the community.
My wish is that we strive to take care of our members and our neighbors. That is ultimately what makes this such a great organization. We need help and we need to help others, which is why I am going to make this plea through the holiday season.
I’m asking everyone that can afford to do so, to sponsor the renewal of a current member who could use the help. Our time with economic challenges isn’t over. The average dues of $40 doesn’t seem like a lot to some of us, but with gas prices in some places, that $40 might be what fills the tank. That $40 is a significant percentage of the weekly grocery budget for some people. That $40 might be used to buy a Christmas present for a child. If you can, please call your Post Adjutant and offer to cover someone’s renewal this year.
If we can agree that our existence is beneficial to both the veteran and the community, I’ll ask you to help make sure that we don’t lose members this year, as that would be a disservice to the both the veteran and the community. As Commander Autrey James says, we are #OneTeamOneFight.
I am thankful for every last one of you, even if we’ve not yet met. I hope you are equally thankful for your California Legion Family and I hope that you will make someone else thankful for your gift this holiday season.
Please have a great Thanksgiving filled with blessings and love.
Jeff Daly
Director of Membership
Author: Jeff Daly
Jeff Daly grew up in Kalamazoo, MI before joining the Marine Corps. After his service he went to the small, private, liberal arts school Kalamazoo College, where he studied Economics and Political Science. Jeff serves The American Legion is several capacities. He is on the Department Training Committee and is an instructor for California Legion College. He is junior/immediate past Commander of Hollywood Post 43. He has been a District officer and served two terms as the Department Membership Director. He is also the immediate past President of the National American Legion College Alumni Associate. Outside of the Legion, Jeff serves on the Military Affairs for Los Angeles Local SAG-AFTRA. You can keep up with Jeff's thoughts on veterans issues by subscribing to his podcast. That is hosted at http://anchor.fm/dalydose. From there you can get links to b subscribe on your favorite music & podcast app.