Welcome to Post 62
Jack Shoemaker
Commander
Copyright © 2010 American Legion Post 62 Peoria, Arizona All Rights Reserved. Web Site Contact: Bob Lacy Webmaster
Post 62 Events By Dave Broyles
Post 62 Adjutant, Historian and Photojournalist
WWII Vets Roundtable (1st Tuesday of every month)
I met up with Jim Alfano quite by accident. I was over at the Legion and I noticed him setting up the room for a meeting tomorrow. As I helped him move things around, I asked - How did this thing get started up? They started out meeting in the Hoover Room at the local library in Sun City about 12-13 years ago.
Jim used to live in Florida for a long time (50+ years). One time, while out visiting friends in Arizona, he decided to buy a house here. Then he thought to himself, "Why the hell do I have two houses?" So he moved out here permanently. Jim started attending these roundtable discussions about 5 years ago.
One day, the county bought the library and wanted to make a book store out of the Hoover Room. So, about two years ago, Jim approached the Legion about two years ago and asked if they could hold their meetings here at Post 62…and the rest is history.
They meet the 1st Tuesday of every month at 10 am because they have something in common - shared experiences from WWII; either personally or they have a family member who was there - some even are history buffs. These meetings attract about 30-40 people on average, with 80 people attending one such meeting. It really depends on the speaker scheduled for that day and the time of year. They start every meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance.
The speaker for this particular day was Max Oppenheimer, a foreign-language educator and consultant. Max was born in the United States, but traveled to Germany when he was just five (1922). He lived in Germany and Paris until he was 18, and then traveled back to the United States. He speaks fluent Germany, French, Spanish and Russian. On this day, he retells his life abroad through his days of service with the U.S. Army in World War II.
He is a published author, having written numerous books as well as scholarly and professional articles. He stills writes every day, which he credits for his impeccable memory - like everything else, "you gotta use it!" Dave Broyles, Post 62 Historian
Volunteers Appreciation Brunch
6 March 2011
What is volunteering? It is the practice of people working on behalf of others or a particular cause without payment for their time and services. Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life.
According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, about 63.4 million Americans, or 26.8% of the adult population, gave 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth $169 billion in 2009. The estimated dollar value of volunteer time for 2009 was $20.85 per hour.
On Sunday morning, the Post held an Appreciation Brunch to thank the volunteers for everything they do for our Post. Approximately 45 volunteers, along with some family members, enjoying a morning of conversation and recognition of their efforts - it resembled a family get-together. Jane Shoemaker and Ron Green were awarded Volunteer of the Year plaques as recognition for their outstanding support of Post 62. Other volunteers also won gift cards in varying amounts. And, as usual, the brunch would not have been a success without…volunteers. Thank you all for your time.
Top Ten Reasons to Volunteer
1. When you stay home you get too many telemarketing calls.
2. Your family could use a break from you.
3. You might need help yourself some day.
4. It's hard to win a game of solitaire.
5. Soap operas all sound alike.
6. If you don't go out each day, you get old.
7. Why let your boss have all the fun in life?
8. The car needs a workout.
9. Your mom would be proud of you.
10. Who cares about money?
Dave Broyles, Post 62 Historian
Bar Bingo
Well, we had another fun-filled and rewarding day of Bar Bingo.
Bar Bingo was started back in September of 2010 as a way to bring folks back to the Post for some good times. On average, approx 65 people come to visit us on Sunday and play a little Bingo. Bar Bingo starts at 1 pm and usually ends between 3:30 - 4 pm. Each person who plays buys a card (or more…) for $1 each. Depending on the number of cards sold, the winner gets 60 percent of the monies collected. The rest goes to the Post to support various activities and Post operations.
As you can see by the pictures, it also takes some volunteer effort to support Bar Bingo - one person (Big Al) calls the numbers while another one (Midge) registers it; there is one person (Dave) to count and separate the money while another person (Julian) delivers the winner the cold hard cash. And then there are the two volunteers (Vern & Mike) who help sell the tickets (the most important job). On occasion, we also have some food for sale. And, finally, there is the clean-up that's always required after any function (Michael). Speaking of volunteers, we can always use more help…
The pictures also show people having some fun. It almost becomes a contest to see who can have the most fun - the north side of the room or the south side; the crowd at the bar, or the occasional guest who is also celebrating a birthday (and playing connect-the-freckles on her chest?).
Come on down next Sunday and see for yourself…. Dave Broyles, Post 62 Historian
