Post Talk
NORTH BRANCH POST # 85
By Glenn Pierce, Adjutant

Meeting Schedule:

Bar Finance & Accounting August 5th at 3:30 pm
Membership Meeting August 13th at 7:00 pm
SAL Meeting August 20th at 6:00 pm

Michelle Still, Auxiliary President – First, I want to thank everyone for their support for our Relay for Life Team. The event is on Aug. 3rd and I’m looking forward to attending again. ALL post family members are invited to the 10th District Family Picnic on August 17th starting at noon. There will be games and surprises. This is potluck so please bring a dish to share. We will serve hot dogs and the eating utensils will be provided. We will meet at Central Park unless the weather is bad, in that case we will meet at the Legion Hall. I hope many from our Post will be there to meet our district president, Brandi Christensen, district commander, Tom Allen, and many other Tenth District friends. Let’s welcome them to North Branch and show our support for their service.

Randy Koivisto, 1st Vice Commander, Membership Director – Need to get rolling? We have two wheelchairs to loan out if needed. One is a conventional chair, the other one has four of the smaller wheels intended for indoor use only. There is no charge for the use of the chairs.

Orville Otterness, Post Service Officer – I attended the July meeting the County Veterans Service Officer had at the Legion Hall. We heard speakers on the subjects of Home Health Service and Hospice. It was a very informative meeting and I would encourage all veterans to attend these meetings if you are able to get there. They are held the third Tuesday of the month so the next one will be held August 20. We had a good attendance with about 30 there, veterans and some wives. A speaker from Adara Home Health informed us we can get Home Health Service at home for the amount of time needed and if authorized by your doctor. Payment can be from insurance or Medicare. Check with your doctor and/or the CVSO. The second speaker was from St. Croix Hospice. This service is available to any patient who is experiencing a life limiting disease with a six-month or less prognosis. The benefit will continue as long as the patient needs it and if the patient graduates off hospice service at any time they are still entitled to receive the benefit again at a later time if it is needed.

Glenn Pierce, Adjutant – Congress and the White House agree to expand definition of war eras to include all who served since Dec. 7, 1941. More than 1,600 members of the U.S. Armed Forces were killed or wounded in periods of time not designated as war eras since the end of World War II. The newly signed Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service Act of 2019 – The LEGION Act – honors those veterans, their spouses and descendants, extending membership eligibility in The American Legion Family to hundreds of thousands who had previously been excluded. The LEGION Act offers American Legion membership eligibility to any U.S. military veteran who served at least one day of active military duty since Dec. 7, 1941, and was honorably discharged or is serving now. The act also affects membership in the American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion, expanding eligibility for those groups, as well.

Post Talk
NORTH BRANCH POST # 85
By Glenn Pierce, Adjutant

Meeting Schedule:

Bar Finance & Accounting July 8th at 6:00 pm
Membership Meeting July 9th at 7:00 pm
SAL Meeting July 16th at 6:00 pm

Rick Hals, Commander – The one item I want to talk about is our Midsummer Celebration. The Legion had a pretty good celebration, advance ticket sales were good, the kiddie Olympics was will attended, the dances had good attendance, people played a lot of bingo, there were approximately 70 plus entries in the parade, the after parade events under the tent was will attended. With that being said, I would take this time to thank everyone who helped us put the celebration on, it takes a lot of planning, and hard work by so many so once more THANK YOU so much. Remember to thank a Vet for his service when you meet a vet.

Michelle Still, Auxiliary President – We had a great Midsummer Celebration! The highlights of Midsummer for me was the nearly rain-free parade, the bands at our dances, the food, and of course, visiting with people under the tent and at the park. I want to thank everyone who volunteered to help with Midsummer and Military Appreciation Day on June 30th. Kudos for all the hard work of our American Legion Family.

Don’t forget to help us raise funds for Relay for Life. The event is August 3rd at the North Branch Outlets, 4:00 to 10:00 PM. You can join our team by contacting Dianne Klund (651-497-8442) or register online at RelayforLife.com and search for our team, NB American Legion Family. Can’t join us for this fun event? Help support Relay for Life and cancer research by
donating online.

Finally, Post 85 will be hosting the 10th District American Legion Family Picnic. More on this in the August Post Talk, but mark your calendars for August 17th, 12:00 noon, at Central Park (moved to Legion Hall in case of rain).

Orv Otterness, Post Service Officer – The last meeting at the Legion Hall with the Chisago County Veterans Service Officer included a speaker from MACV (Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans). She spoke on what they do for veterans. That includes helping the
homeless, providing basic need items, household items, seasonal items, clothing and gift cards.

MACV has a main headquarters in Minneapolis with offices in the north (Duluth) and south (Mankato). Their main office phone is 651-291-8756. Their vision is to provide assistance to veterans. To that end they do accept donations. They are a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization.

Tuesday, July 16, 9 a.m. the meeting will include speakers from St. Croix Hospice and Adara Home Health. It is important for all of us to keep up on what is available for veterans. It may be of use to you or someone may ask you where they can go for help.

Randy Koivisto, 1st Vice Commander, Membership Director – It’s that time again Legionnaires! Our Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in the hall on Friday, July 26th, from 11-5. Movies will be shown, and the usual treats will be offered. Please take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to help out someone in need. Walk-ins are welcome, but quicker service can be found when scheduling an appointment online (Red Cross.Org), or by calling the Red Cross. We could use some volunteers to process in donors, and to hand out treats. A two hour shift would be appreciated. Contact Randy at 612-718-5609. Thank you!!

Membership – Out of the 53 posts in our district, we finished in second place regarding membership growth! We currently have 237 Legion members. All credit is due to those that make sure our post remains active in many different fields. The word is getting out about all of the good we do for our community. That includes work done by our Post staff, Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion, and the Legion Riders. We have many stars that make our post shine. Great Job Everybody!!

Joe Sausen, after receiving his 15 year membership pin from Commander Rick Hals

Boys State – Post 85 sponsored, Boys State attendees, Noah Doohen, and Jacob Goranson, sent letters of appreciation for being selected to attend this annual gathering of outstanding students from throughout the state of Minnesota. A couple of excerpts from their letters are ” I cannot express how grateful I am to have been chosen to attend Boys State. It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. “, “Thank you for such a wonderful week!” The event was held at St. Johns University in Collegeville this year. Search, American Legion Boys State, to learn more about the program.

Glenn Pierce, Gaming Manager – Midsummer Coach Purse Bingo was a big success again this year at the Midsummer Days Celebration. Thank You to all who supported us. Here are a few of the Lucky Winners.