Missouri post Buddy Checks reaching more than 40 veterans each month

A chance discussion last December has prompted a Missouri American Legion post to start reaching out to its members on a regular basis, resulting in more than 40 Buddy Checks in both January and February.

Charles Holt, the commander of Heinline-Hanks Post 38 in Fair Grove, had a conversation with Department of Missouri Commander Mark Clark during Clark’s visit to a District 17 meeting December. That conversation changed the relationship between the post and its members in a very positive manner.

“The commander sat across from me, and we got to talking,” Holt said. “He talked about Be the One, and he was talking about the Buddy Checks. And I said, ‘Yeah, it makes sense. We need to be doing this.’”

Post 38 closes down in January and February, but its executive committee continues to meet during those months. At the January meeting, Holt shared the idea with his fellow committee members.

They divided the roster up, with each executive committee member taking 11 names.

“Over two weeks we each called those 11 people,” Holt said, noting the list include members who were delinquent in their dues. “They caught up, and people who were due for the new year paid up. But the biggest thing is they wanted to know what was going on with the post. So, we were able to keep them updated.”

During the second executive committee meeting in January, Holt said the decision was made to make the Buddy Checks a monthly program. And it’s made a difference with the post’s membership.

“We were at 46 percent (renewals) in November and were at 52 percent in December,” Holt said. “We went from 52 percent to 64 percent in January, and then February jumped up to 85 percent. And now we’re at 89 percent.

“It shows me that people want to know what the post is doing. And in March we had our first (general membership) meeting, and we had seven more people there than we normally have. And that resulted from the Buddy Checks.”

Holt said when the Buddy Check calls are made, normally the first response is “’Why are you calling?’ And we tell them, ‘We’re calling to check up on you. This is something new that we’re doing because we want you involved in what’s going on. We need to see you.’ I tell them what we’ve got coming up and what we’re thinking about doing, and if they’re able to come to a meeting, please do. And if they need a ride, I’m happy to run a bus service to bring our members into the meeting so they can be involved.”

Holt said the Buddy Checks extend beyond phone calls. He recently made a visit to an Air Force veteran who was “down in the dumps” and was able to cheer the man up. And he and a few other post members have regularly visited the post’s longest standing member who now lives in a veterans home.

“I’m very, very excited about it, and how our members are asking questions,” Holt said. “They tell us no one has ever done this before. We tell them, ‘We need to let you know what’s going on, and we care about what is going on with you.’”