Revitalization effort makes difference in Illinois
Department of Illinois 11th District Commander Gary Stieg said a revitalization effort last fall kick-started a strong membership year for his district. (Photo by Steve B. Brooks)

Revitalization effort makes difference in Illinois

At one time, American Legion Post 84 in Aurora, Ill., was thriving, with a membership topping 1,000 in the 1970s. But that number dropped considerably over the years, to the point where the post was simply hanging on.

That’s not the case any longer. In early May, the post’s membership stood at 329, a number at 132.7 percent of the goal for the year. Post Commander Mike Eckburg credits a two-county revitalization effort last fall as the reason for the rebirth of Post 84.

“It kind of got the juices going,” Eckburg said of the revitalization effort. “We had some good press on it. It gave me, as an observer, an opportunity to see how you do that. Since then, I’ve basically been scouring MyLegion.org, pulling the (headquarters post) list out. I’ve spent several weekends on the phone or out visiting.” The revitalization effort – which resulted in 25 new or reinstated members, and 242 headquarters post members transferred into local post – had an effect across multiple counties. “The revitalization … really kicked us off,” Illinois 11th District Commander Gary Stieg said. “(Post 13 in Plainfield, Ill.) gained 17 people out of the revitalization. That jump-started those guys so much. It got them believing again.”

During revitalization efforts, national staff team up with department, district, county and local Legionnaires on a targeted membership campaign that includes making phone calls and going door to door, seeking out former members, headquarters post members and eligible veterans. It’s a chance to put current, former and potential members in touch with their local post.

“If they didn’t want to (transfer) right away, I would give them the phone number to the post,” said Virgil Okion, the 11th District chaplain. “And then I would take the time to call that post and tell them, ‘You’ve got a new member that’s going to call you, or he’s going to transfer over.’ And then I would give them the name of the new member and his phone number.”

While Eckburg credits the revitalization effort and “a lot of other things going right,” with the renewed growth of Post 84, others are quick to pass on the praise to Eckburg himself. One of those is John B. Reece Jr., the current senior vice commander and incoming 11th District commander.

“He’s very good at what he does,” Reece said of Eckburg. “They lost their building years ago. You can see what Mike’s done with membership just this year. They have a building now where they have an office. It’s all because of Mike and his energy in everything he does. It is contagious. You hang around with Mike for awhile (and) it gets you going.”

And that enthusiasm has got Post 84’s members going. “It’s a whole lot harder to stop doing something once you get into it than it is to get into it,” Eckburg said. Now the post is into it.”

To schedule a revitalization effort in your country or district, contact your department headquarters.

To read about how membership is working in Illinois' 11th District, click here.

To read about the importance of transferring members into local posts, click here.