COMMUNITY SERVICE

Reaching out into our communities is vital to our organization, developing relationships with community leaders, media, school faculty and local civic groups can greatly assist each post in achieving the VFW mission. We report our monthly Community Service activities. In 2018, our Post members provided just under 4,000 hours in Community Service. They continue to provide over an average of 200 hours per month of Community Service.
 
This effort is championed by our Community Activities Committee Chair Jeff Jorgensen. Working with Jeff is comrade Larry Fischer (currently the Shoreline American Legion Post 227, Post Commander) who  has organized trips taking ice cream, donuts or the like --- to local Police stations from our VFW Post. Larry also organizes veterans giving rides, with help by comrade Eli Smih to other veterans. He also worked on getting a Veterans Memorial established at the Shoreline City Hall. 
 
 
Comrade Eli Smith is in rehabilitation so is not giving free rides for a few months. Eli, a former NFL Running Back (the former St Louis Rams), will return to continue to provide rides to any veteran in North King County or South Snohomish County to wherever they need to go e.g. VA Hospital, VA Clinic in Lake City, Doctor's office, shopping, etc. Eli also manages a clothing drive that accepts and provides clothing to low income high school students.
 
Our Service Officer Tim Miller works with veterans who are having trouble with getting their claims through the VA. Tim is also connected to the Joint Service Committee (JSC) who meet twice a week at the MLT American Legion post. The JSC actually sits down with veterans who need help, which includes help with VA forms. They specialize in helping veterans with PTSD.
 
Comrade Parl Guthrie co-led, along with Jim Morrison of the Burien VFW Post, the effort that garnered $25,000 for a Veterans Memorial honoring Northshore High School students who died serving our country. See Northshore Veterans Memorial under the "Programs" menu.  
 
VFW Nationally offers 3 essay contests which are::
  • Voice of Democracy (VOD) for grades 9-12
  • Patriot's Pen for grades 6-8
  • WA State Youth Essay for grade 3-5
 
These contests are fully described, when the contest is ongoing,  under the "Programs" menu, option "Youth Essay Contests". It shows the prize money and the needed forms. Each contest calls for a written essay but in addition, the VOD contest calls for a recording done by the student reading his/her essay. 
 
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