Resources, including scripts and guides to perform Buddy Checks, are available online at legion.org/buddycheck.
The American Legion’s Buddy Check program has proven extremely valuable in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Legionnaires and posts have provided vital assistance, camaraderie and support for isolated veterans and their families.
Through the end of the 2020 membership year on June 30, more than 3,600 posts reported that they had conducted Buddy Checks in one form or another.
The American Legion Media & Communications Division is looking for more examples like that of Las Vegas Spirit of Freedom Post 76 Commander Tony Mascari who led efforts to conduct nearly 800 Buddy Checks in December and January alone.
“So many are shut in right now,” Mascari said. “The majority of our membership … they’re staying in. They’re very concerned with what’s going on in the outside world. To have somebody call, just to ask, ‘How are you doing today and is there anything we can do for you?’ – it was really, really amazing to talk to some of our members. I don’t know that they’ve had a lot of that. They were grateful that somebody just called to say, ‘How’re you doing today?’”
Legionnaires, posts and departments using Buddy Checks to reach out to members are urged to share their stories at www.legiontown.org. A special category specifically for Buddy Check stories has been set up to receive those examples, which will be used to encourage others to conduct programs of their own.
Resources, including scripts and guides to perform Buddy Checks, are available online at www.legion.org/buddycheck.
Buddy Check Training
A National Headquarters Training Tuesday session was conducted on Buddy Checks. Watch the recorded video presentation at www.legion.org/training/training-tuesdays.
The training focused on the who, what, where, when and why of Buddy Checks, and the strategic objectives of taking care of our fellow veterans.
- Dispatch