(Veterans of foreign wars, aka VFW)
According to Greek Mythology,
the first woman created was
Pandora and each of the gods
who created her endowed her with
gifts. She was also given a box, but
told not to open it, but her curiousity
got the better of her and all the bad
things came out, such as illnesses
and many hardships. She became
scared as the deeds poured out and
tried to close the box, but trapped
Hope inside.
Today, we don’t believe in a Pandora,
but we can certainly believe in a
Mother Nature who has been wreaking
havoc on the earth. Not only do
we have horrible fires in the west, we
have tornados in the mid states, the
Andreas Fault which will cause earthquakes,
volcanoes that spew lava,
hurricanes which slam the oceans
with storm surges, cyclones, flooding
rains, melting icebergs, and the ever
present global warming that is causing
changes to the planet more rapidly
than ever expected.
But, Mother Nature isn’t our only
nemesis, we have wars, bigotry, jealousy
and selfishness. Now it’s time
for all of us to sit back for a moment,
think about how we can overcome
all these miseries, then begin to take
action. Already, many people have
done just that by donating time and
energy to assist the many people who
have suffered some form of casualty,
whether it be from the weather or an
illness.
Our first responders along with
many of our Veterans have all been
in the forefront lines assisting the less
fortunate. Here at our Lehigh Acres
Post 4174, we had been accepting
and delivering foods, water and other
necessities to Posts in other neighborhoods
which were hit harder than our
area. Many of our members came out
to help.
We’re not all about disasters now,
though. We are going ahead with the
Trunk or Treat to help the youth of
the area have something pleasant to
look forward to and we are still open
for our regular activities. Sometimes,
just visiting with a few friends can be
part of a healing process as well as a
coordination of needed help.
Our country has a way of overcoming
tremendous odds by banding
together in disastrous times. It is the
mantra of the military which fosters
brotherhood that will help us recover
from all the ills besetting the country
as well as the entire world. We can
join forces to open Pandora’s Box to
let Hope out and our post will be glad
to help you do this. Join us and you’ll
be glad you did!
IT’S A WIN-WINN!
One of
our long
s t a n d i n g
neighbors here
in Lehigh Acres
is a store called
Winn-Dixie, located
at 61 Bell Boulevard.
They instituted a special
program which is called
the Winn-Dixie Community
Bag Program. It was launched
in February, 2019 to facilitate community
support with the main goal of
making a difference in the community
where shoppers live and work.
What the program consists of
is a reusable Community Bag that
is purchased at the Bell location
during a specific month. Each
time a $2.99 reusable Community
Bag is purchased, the chosen
benefactor for the month receives
$1 donation, unless it is otherwise
directed by the customer through
the Giving Tag which is attached
to the bag.
Well, for the entire month of October,
2022, the VFW Post 4174 of
Lehigh Acres has been selected as
the beneficiary of the program by the
store’s leadership, and we couldn’t
be more pleased. We have long
supported the members of our community
in many different projects and
to have one of our neighbors chose
our veterans as recipients of their assistance
is really showing the spirit of
what community togetherness is all
about.
We are asking all of our neighbors
to take a ride to Bell Boulevard
off Joel to shop at the Winn-Dixie
store and purchase a Community
Bag. It will be a way of all of us supporting
our Veterans, thanking them
for their service. And in case you
haven’t previously visited this store,
there are always some great food
bargains to grace your tables. I personally
find their bakery goods to be
a hard aisle to pass up!
Our VFW Post 4174 has served
our community, especially its youth
programs for many years, and we
would be honored if you would find
the time to assist us in this great
endeavor and make a trip to the
Winn-Dixie store on Bell Boulevard.
You will find it to be a worthwhile venture,
a definite Win-Winn and you’ll
be glad you did!
RECRUITING NEW RECRUITS!
The new VFW Commander in
Chief has chosen recruiting
new members as his number
one priority for the coming year and
is calling on all members to become
involved by getting a new member
to join. Even here in the Lehigh
Acres Post 4174, we can help the
Commander, seeing as how we
have a number of veterans living in
our area.
Now, while hog tying or roping
does bring in some results, it’s not
considered a good idea to use those
methods. Instead, there are many
easier and kinder ways to accomplish
the deed! First of all, we need
to remember that EVERY Veteran
Counts and let that be the basis of
any recruiting strategy.
Any time one encounters someone
with a Veterans cap or any type
of military apparel, begin by approaching
them with big smile, give
a fist bump or hand shake and then
thanking him or her for their service.
Then ask when and where they
served and it will open up a conversation.
Once the talk has begun, it
will be fairly easy to let them know
the Post nearest them is always
looking out for Veterans and willing
to go the extra miles to help them in
any given situation.
Recruiting members is beneficial
to the VFW, as the larger the membership,
the more voices there are to
convince Washington D.C. that our
Veterans deserve all the benefits and
assistance we can render. We owe
so much to our Veterans and in many
instances, can never repay them for
the sacrifices which were made on
our behalf. It helps to remember that
every new member will empower the
VFW influence on Capitol Hill.
There are incentives in place to
reward the efforts of recruiters. To
earn those accolades, listening to
a prospective member will give the
best chance to sign someone up as
a new member. Anyone who can
recruit 25 new members can win a
Commander in Chief belt buckle or a
jewelry set . If one is able to recruit
175 members, there is a beautiful
Commander in Chief Century Plus
jacket.
Incentives are great, but at the
end of the day, it is really about wanting
to share the VFW experience
with all Veterans. We would be happy
to tell you more about us at any
time, so feel free to stop in at 25 S.
Homestead Road in Lehigh Acres.
You’ll be glad you did!