A community steps up for its Legion post

For decades, American Legion Post 317’s building in the small town of Radcliffe, Iowa, was a centerpiece in the farming community. Legionnaires who’ve been a part of the post for just a few years to more than six decades have fond memories of what the building was.

But that building has fallen into disrepair. The post still meets in it, but between the front steps starting to show the rebars, to a musty smelling basement and an upstairs that has virtually no insulation and uses two window air conditioners to cool it during the hot Iowa summers, there isn’t much of a draw to rent the place for a special event.

But the post is working to change that, and thanks to a quick start to a fundraising campaign – backed both by the Radcliffe community and a nationally known country music singer – is on its way to at least having a major renovation done to the building.

Corporate and community donations, along with a successful outdoor concert on July 21, have brought the post more than $100,000 for its building fund. As donations continue to come in, post members are hoping the facility can return to the center of the community it once was.

“We need this building in town to host functions and serve the community,” said 37-year-old Post 317 Commander Heath Stolee, who served in the U.S. Army from 2003-2007 and 2008-2009, deploying to both Kuwait and Iraq. “I’d hate to see it go away. The guys came back from World War II and built this (building) because it was home. They wanted to continue to serve their community. They built this for the community. I’d like to see it where … we can get some more revenue streams so we can continue to do more for the community.”

The post facility was built in 1950 and paid off by its members in 1961. Stolee, who was born and raised in Radcliffe, remembers the post being a community center when he was younger.

“There were always functions going on here, whether it be a benefit for somebody that was sick with cancer, there were wedding receptions here, graduations, just community events,” he said. “That’s what the purpose of the building was: for people to gather and enjoy each other’s company, either just to celebrate or join together for a good cause.”

Dennis Friest, a 47-year member and past commander of Post 317, and lifetime Radcliffe resident, has similar memories. “It was a community center, but society has changed,” he said. “Now we don’t think twice about driving 30-60 miles away to do something. It’s really hard to keep community involvement, but people who live in an area like this … you want a nice building for them to use. If you have a birthday party or a wedding reception, if we have a nice building it will be a great place to have them.”

The post also stands for something, Friest said: “Patriotism and the value of what veterans have done to make this country what it is, that’s what the (post) is there for.”

Those values are what drew country music singer Jason Brown to help Post 317’s efforts. An Iowa native and current resident, Brown looks for community projects he can assist with using his singing talents. A mutual friend put Stolee and Brown in contact with each other, and it didn’t take long for Brown – who has charted multiple songs on either the Billboard and MediaBase Country Charts and has toured across the Midwest – to decide to lend his efforts to the cause.

"I love everything The American Legion stands for,” Brown said. “They really fight to keep the Constitution. Americanism is a huge thing of mine. They have all the values that I think are kind of deteriorating in today’s society, to be honest with you. And I think the reason why they (have those values) is because they’re people that served. They don’t want to see their sacrifices and their service go in vain.”

Brown said American Legion posts are a critical part of small towns. “You have to have a moral compass,” he said. “You need a facility or a group of people in a community that still believe in those core values of why we are here and why America was begun. If (an American Legion post) isn’t there, who’s going to be that organization in that town to kind of be the example? It seems like everything the Legion does is community-focused.”

Brown offered to perform a concert on July 21 during the town’s annual Radcliffe Days – an offer that blew Stolee away. “It’s absolutely amazing,” Stolee said. “Jason … is a patriot. He’s passionate about helping others. He gets it. He understands that communities and (Legion posts) need help, and he has the means and the talent to be able to do that.”

On the night of the concert, hundreds of area residents lined Isabella Street, the main drag in Radcliffe, some standing for the show and others bringing lawn chairs. Radcliffe restaurants and ice cream shops sold food and beverages, and Mother Nature completely cooperated, offering up temperatures in the high 70s with virtually no humidity.

Brown said the weather was “amazing.” And putting on the concert “was the right thing to do,” he said. “It just makes me feel like I have a reason to have the talents that I have. To me, what I’m doing here is nothing compared to what they’ve done before I got here – the men and women who served our country. It feels like I’m part of something bigger than myself.”

Iowa State Sen. Annette Sweeney, who represents Radcliffe and surrounding towns, was in attendance for the event. She said Legion posts like 317 thought of something bigger then themselves when they were established decades ago.

“Our World War I veterans came back to our communities and said, ‘Even though we fought, we still want to give back,'” she said. “All those posts started coming up across the country. When that happened, it gave the community … a sense of mission and purpose. They came back and wanted their communities to thrive. Our veterans like The American Legion have never given up on our communities.”

Community and corporate donors contributed $74,000 to the cause before the concert; proceeds from the concert raised the amount to $105,000, with more expected to come in. “Things have caught fire for getting this building funded,” said Andy Erickson, the fundraising coordinator for the project.

Though an integral part of making the event happen, Stolee doesn’t want to take credit for its success. “There’s a lot of people … who wanted to support the cause,” he said. “Seeing the generosity and the way people wanted to support us and stand behind us, it really hits home.”