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COMMANDER: Hello everyone. This amended February newsletter is to let you know that the Post Executive Board (by a majority vote) has decided that we will now have the newsletter on a monthly basis. Thanks to the Association for volunteering to pay for the cost of printing. Parts or all of some inputs have been deleted in order to save space.

FYI, on Ash Wednesday, 17 February, approximately 40-49 members of the largest post in South Carolina, Post 3, will be visiting Post 327. They are coming up to tour the Norfolk Naval Base and visit the USS Wisconsin and the USS George W. Bush. A spaghetti dinner will be available for $8.00 to Post members and out-of-town guests. Post and ALA officers should join our guests in the banquet hall for a fellowship at 6:00 p.m. Dress is Business attire (jacket) and Legion caps for officers.

Welcome aboard to all of our new members. Please stop by the Post and introduce yourself to your fellow comrades.

SECOND NOTICE- The election of Post Officers will be held Tuesday, 11 May 2010 at the regular meeting at 8:00 p.m. If you would like to run for an office please submit your name to the Nomination Committee, Adjutant Michael Bukowski or the Finance Officer Ray Steckman. All Post positions are open each year and any Post member can run if they have been initiated. Please do not run for an office just to hold the title. You must be present at the meeting to be elected, if not you must submit a letter of intent. Be sure to attend the meeting to vote for your choice of Legion members running for office for the upcoming year.

Don’t forget to register for the Dept. Spring Conference being held at the VAB Resort Hotel and Conference Center 19-21 March 2010.

Our current membership stands at 82% with 875 New/Renewals. Our goal for the year 2010 is 1,067. Legionnaires, we need your help. If you haven’t renewed for 2010 please mail your dues or see the membership chairman, Larry Turner, at the Post. Our dues are still $30.00. We voted not to raise the dues this year to avoid losing membership because of a $5.00 increase. Please read the attached letter from Past Post Commander John M. Schenk concerning our newsletter and membership.

For God and Country, B. J. Miller

POST ATHLETIC OFFICER: Reminder, the state American Legion Bowling Tournament will be held on the 27-28 of February 2010. Deadline for applications is 1 February 2010 to Post 325 Danville, VA. Let’s not be late. Applications can be found on our website thanks to Byron. If you are reading a hard copy and want an application, please give me a call at 853-0475, and I will get you an application. The Athletic Fund will have a hospitality room at Inn Keeper West on Friday and Saturday night. A sign-up sheet for a bus is posted in the lobby of Post 327. Cost will be approximately $43.00. We must have 50 participants. So, if you want the bus, be sure to sign up early. A deposit of $20.00 must be paid by 1 February, and the remainder by 15 February.

The over-50 men’s softball team needs players 50 and older and will have a meeting at 3:00 p.m., 21 February 2010 in the Post home. Anyone born in the year 1950 is eligible to play. Come out to the meeting and hear what the BULLDOG has to say and then make your decision if you would like to play. If you know someone who is 50 and would like to play, bring him along. Refreshments will be served at the meeting. See you on the 21^st of February. For God and Country, Jim Norton

ALA PRESIDENT: Hello Ladies, February is a busy month for us. We have a baked Spaghetti dinner planned for 5 February, and the Juniors are having their 4^thannual Chili cook-off. If you would like to donate a pot of chili, please contact Jane Evans at 627-6151. We will have our annual Valentine Steak dinner on 12 February. Don’t forget membership. We would really like to reach our 100% goal early. We can’t do it without you.

SECOND NOTICE OF ALA ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The ALA election of officers will be held the first Tuesday in May 2010 at our regular 7:00 p.m. meeting. For God and Country, Nancy Bell

SQUADRON 327 COMMANDER: Greetings Comrades. Your membership is important to the squadron, as it keeps us strong and enables us to continue working the American Legion

programs that help our Veterans.   We need help soliciting donations in February before the local businesses give away their yearly charitable donations.

We will have a Steak & Cheese dinner on the 19^th.

Reminder, on Sunday, 7 February, we will be having our Super Bowl Party. Dave Samson will be in charge and needs help with this. Please bring a covered dish and get with him to assist with setup or cleanup. We all like to have fun, but we also need to pitch in. This is the 2ND Notice for Elections to be held in June. Please start thinking about running for an office and getting involved. See any current officer if you have any questions. For God and Country, Steve Gower, Sr.

ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT: THIRD AND FINAL NOTICE: ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS FOR 2010. Elections will be held on Sunday, February 14^th, 2010 with results announced at the Association meeting on February 16^th. All candidates for office will be posted on the bulletin boards in the club. On election day, February 14^th,ballots will be available at the Post from NOON until 6:00 p.m. when election voting will be closed.

EDITOR: If you would like to receive your newsletter by e-mail, please let me know. Our e-mail address is amlg327@yahoo.com. You may also get the newsletter online at www.legion327.org.

May God bless each of you with great health, prosperity, and happiness. For God and Country, B.J. Miller

For the past 30 years that I have had the privilege of being a member of Post 327, I have witnessed a very aggressive attitude towards our Legion programs. We, as a Post, have excelled in everything that we have undertaken. We were considered one of the best posts in the Department of Virginia.

I want to commend and applaud the Post Executive Boards, who, over the years, have fought down the necessity of raising dues when the Department or National did so. As a Post, we kept our dues at the most reasonable level for our membership and continued to support our Legion programs.

Now, however, with the recent raise in dues by Department, it is necessary to raise our Post dues. The Executive Board’s decision to raise our dues to $35.00 starting with the 2011 year is a very wise decision. Common sense prevails. The more we have to send to Department is the less we have for our yearly programs. Will we lose any members? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Fellow Legionnaires, it is time to tighten the budget again. Our most expensive budget item is the Post Newsletter. Printing and mailing that newsletter costs the Post approximately $2,600.00 per year. We need to cut back on the number of copies we print and mail.

Now that we are in the 21^st century, more of you own and use computers. You can access our Post website and read and/or download the newsletter as you wish. Why not help the Post save money and request that your name is removed from the mailing list.

Just think of it as, “Maybe I could be responsible for helping the Post keep our membership dues at the same rate for the next 10 years!”

I look forward to working with each Executive Board and for the General membership for many years to come.