WASHTENAW COUNTY VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA CHAPTER 310

AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROUDLY SERVES ALL VETERANS,

THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITY

Chapter 310 was formed in 1987. At that time the Chapter chose as its motto "Never Again Shall A Vet Coming Home From Battle Be Made To Feel Alone And Unappreciated". We have not wavered from that motto and most significantly in the past year we have highlighted it through our large ‘Support Our Troops’ program.

Chapter 310 is a very active chapter and growing in membership at over a 10 percent annual rate. We pride ourselves on the active participation of our more than 125 members. We feel that we warrant selection as 2003-2004 VVA Chapter of the Year. Numerous reasons and justification follow.

Chapter 310’s Mission Statement, which is based on our original Chapter goals, is: Always promote a positive image of Vietnam Veterans in our community, help all Veterans who need assistance, and never let the sacrifices of the 76 men killed in Vietnam, or missing-in-action from our county be forgotten by erecting and maintaining our Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Our Chapter activities adhere to the core values and Strategic Plan roadmap for VVA. The following are examples of the things we do that meet VVA’s Strategic Plan and core values. These examples provide justification for selection of VVA Chapter 310 as VVA Chapter of the Year.

Chapter 310 is widely known throughout the county for its community service and willingness to accept any mission. Here is a partial list of activities we participate in on a regular basis:

1. In the past year, we are most proud of our ‘Support Our Troops’ program. We are responsible for the shipment of over 270 ‘Care’ packages to troops in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters. We organized 7 large ‘Support Our Troops’ rallies. We have mailed over 1,200 notes and letters of support to our troops. We were present in numbers to Welcome Home two local Guard units when they returned to Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor from Iraq. Most recently, we are involved in an "Adopt-A-Platoon" program we developed. To date, we have connected 6 platoons of the 1^st Cavalry Division in Iraq with local Veterans and civic organizations. In October 2003, we put on a very large successful Pig Roast to raise funds to help with our Support Troops Program. Our Support program continues to grow and we find it very rewarding. We live by our chapter motto.

2. We regard it to be our responsibility to remind our local residents that Freedom is not free. And that many men and women have made the supreme sacrifice for us to live under and display our Flag, our symbol of liberty and Freedom. We march in uniform and with Flags and banner in 5 major local parades each year around our county.

3. We organize and put on the annual county Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances each year at our Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

4. Upon request from any school or college program in our county we do presentations, panel discussions, etc. throughout the year on our Vietnam experiences. This program has been increasing each year since we began about 6 years ago.

5. At our annual evening Watchfire ceremony on Memorial Day Sunday, we very honorably burn Flags given to us to be retired. We burn each Flag in memory of deceased Veterans and loved ones. This program has increased in size each year.

6. We do all the grounds maintenance around our Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This includes trimming and planting trees and flowers and mowing the grass to keep it as a proud place of remembrance. We established a separate non-profit organization to provide for the perpetual care of our Vietnam Veterans Memorial after we are no longer able to do it ourselves. We assist in the fund raising to build up the perpetual care fund for its future needs.

7. Many members of our Chapter are members of the Washtenaw County Veterans Honor Guard, which does military funeral ceremonies for any Veteran in our area upon request. The Honor Guard participated in 94 funerals in 2003.

8. Each year we man a registration table at the annual March of Dimes Walk-a-thon in Ann Arbor.

9. Annually we provide a large complete Thanksgiving Dinner for the 28 or so residents of Dawn Farm, which is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program for young people.

10. We support different fund raising activities of other nearby VVA Chapters, local schools, etc.

1. Our monthly Chapter newsletter, the 310 Dispatch, is an excellent newsletter that is mailed to all our members just prior to our monthly meetings. It is also mailed to many non-members from our community to keep them informed of our activities, events and programs. The quality, content and composition of the 310 Dispatch is outstanding and sets a great example for all whom read it. Every month our 310 Dispatch includes what is going on at our Chapter level, County Council and State Council level meetings through accurate and complete meeting minutes printed in the 310 Dispatch.

1. Many local organizations, businesses and individuals who contribute to our Chapter are long time supporters of our events and goals. Each contributor receives a special thank you note and a copy of our event financial report so they best understand what we do with their contributions. This encourages them to most often increase their support of our Chapter. We have developed a tremendous trust and support base from our local supporters by just being honest, appreciative and sincere with them.

1. We have a Food Pantry that we use to feed Vietnam Veteran families who need temporary help. We also purchase toys, and sometimes clothes, at Christmas time and other occasions throughout the year for needy Veterans’ children.

2. We focus on the families of our local Vietnam KIAs and POW-MIAs. They receive our newsletter and are welcome to join us in any of our activities. They all are proud of what we do for the image of Vietnam Veterans and the fact we will not allow the sacrifices they and their loved ones made be forgotten. Each year during the Christmas season, we send the family members a specially designed greeting card to reconfirm that we will never let their loved one be forgotten and that we are thinking about them during the Christmas season.

3. We annually visit the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center with a Christmas room to room program for all the hospitalized Veterans. It includes a high school fiddle and stringed instrument group called the Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic, the current year Miss Michigan and Miss Washtenaw County and the great performances of Miss Michigan 1993. As part of the show each year we give every patient a special gift from our Chapter and our supporters. This past year we presented each patient with a wallet and insulated cup with the Chapter name.

4. Also during each Christmas season a group of members visit with every hospitalized Veteran in the Medical Center and give them packages of new underwear, socks and other treats.

    

    

    

5. For the past several years we have sponsored a Michael J. Martin visit to various locations in our area from a concert at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center for the hospitalized Veterans at that facility to visits to schools and appearance on local radio.

6. Every Christmas season we send out about 300 specially designed greeting cards to servicemen and women serving in the military overseas.

7. In August we put on a chicken roast at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center for the hospitalized patients. Those who cannot make it to the auditorium are taken complete meals to their rooms where we treat them with a visit as well.

8. At Halloween we put on an event at the VA Medical Center for the hospitalized patients and the nursing staff. We dress in costumes and go from room to room and ‘trick or treat’ all the patients. We have two huge pumpkins nicely carved and on carts, which we roll into each room and really cheer up the patients. We give out treats and refreshment to the patients and the nurses throughout the facility.

9. A Chapter 310 member is on the selection board for the ‘Wall of Heroes’ recognition at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center.

10. We alternate organizing an annual golf tournament for members and supporters of the our Chapter and VVA Chapter 528. This promotes membership and has many other positive aspects for the Chapter and VVA.

1. Our monthly Chapter newsletter is mailed to many of the local politicians, who review it and use it to keep aware of our events and what we are doing to help our community.

2. Each year members of our Chapter 310 attend the Washtenaw County Council of Veterans Dinner. Many of the local politicians attend the dinner, which is a great opportunity for us to discuss our concerns about recent issues. We concentrate on issues of major concern and focus just on them at the dinner with the political guests. It is common for members of our Chapter to be contacted by local politicians for our opinion on various Veterans’ related issues.

3. Through our work and efforts local politicians are proud to be friends with our Chapter. We invite them to different events throughout the year and they make presentations when requested. They are invited each year to our annual Recognition Dinner where we highlight their efforts to help us attain our goals and we show our appreciation.

4. We are very active in writing articles for the local newspapers on Veterans’ issues, which make our concerns well known.

The strength of Chapter 310 is in membership involvement. We remain at more than 125 members. We work hard to keep all our members informed and included in chapter activities. The following are examples of some of the actions we take to keep a great membership.

1. We keep every member informed of events and actions through our monthly newsletter, telephone calls and word of mouth.

2. If there is an illness of a member or an immediate family member, we send a card and

   flowers from our Chapter to let them know they are important and we care about them and wish for their speedy recovery.

3. The past few years we have made an effort to reach out to Vietnam Era Veterans, who were not made to feel as welcome in the early years of the Chapter.

4. We have an annual chapter picnic in a local park and urge all members to attend and

   get to know other members in a fun atmosphere.

5. We had almost 50% of our members involved in our first annual Pig Roast in 2003. This was the highest membership involvement we have had in an event ever.

6. At several events around the county each year we set up our membership table and pass out membership forms and newsletters to attract possible new members. It gives us a chance to discuss our Chapter with prospective members. We also have our Chapter telephone number listed in the Yellow Pages and receive requests for applications and information through that means.

7. When we meet a potential member, we send him a membership package and put him on our newsletter mailing list for at least 4 months to entice him to join. We also make follow-up calls and contacts with them.

8. Every new member receives a packet of chapter information and a chapter hat with the chapter logo on it.

9. We make follow-up calls and contacts with members whose membership has lapsed to try to get them to continue their membership.

10. As we promote our image and events through the different local media, we take the opportunity to also promote membership in our Chapter.

Chapter 310 has few financial problems, because we have a sound diversified financial base and minimal needs. We do not have our own building, but pay a nominal fee to the local VFW to use their hall for our meetings and events.

When we do identify a special need, we set up a committee and develop a plan to raise the required money, like the fundraising we did at the Support Our Troops rallies to cover the cost of shipping our ‘Care’ packages.

Each year we raise approximately $9,000.00 for our annual VA Medical Center Christmas Show through contributions from a special list of friends we have established in our community. That support is largely due to our showing them our appreciation for their continued support. These contributors are long time supporters, most for over 10 years. Funds not used at Christmas are used for special projects within the VA Medical Center, along with a $100 per month donation for ‘Comfort Items’ for the patients.

We have done large raffles, benefit shows, rummage sales, etc. Our fundraising success can be explained by the following.

1. When we identify a need for money, we consider the feasibility of a special fundraiser to meet that need. And we get the commitment of our membership to support the effort. Then a member volunteers to lead the effort and success follows.

2. We have found that if you simply tell people the truth and show your appreciation for their support afterwards they will enjoy contributing to future events of our Chapter. For our Christmas each year, we have about an 85% response rate from previous contributors, which makes it easy for us financially to put on our big special events at the VA Medical Center. Our supporters actually count on us to send them a request letter and financial statement in November each year, which they commonly respond with an even greater contribution each year.

3. Always keep your mailing list confidential and explain that to your contributors.

4. We make and sell dog tags at several events around the county each year. Outside of our Christmas Show contributions, this is our biggest fundraiser.

5. At each monthly chapter meeting we review in detail the financials with the membership to keep them informed of our spending and income.

6. We also have a merchandise group, which uses their profits to purchase special items for our chapter.

As for organizational effectiveness, we must be doing the right things. Our Chapter successes since our start in 1987 are proof. The fact that our Chapter President was awarded the 2003 Michigan Veteran of the Year further supports the effectiveness of VVA Chapter 310.

We have very business like monthly membership meetings led by our President. We have a standard format of reporting out by committees and everyone gets a chance to state their opinion on any issue. Our goals are clear and our members buy into them, so it is easy for us to be successful. However, we do occasionally stop and review our actions to be sure they are directed toward the goals of our Chapter and VVA.

Submitted By:

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John F. Kinzinger, President VVA Chapter 310

Concurred By:

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Tom Meindhardt, Michigan State Council President