Alabama Post 199 hosts grand opening ceremony that includes members of a very supportive community.
Dale Taylor moved to Fairhope, Ala., not too long after 2020’s Hurricane Sally had made American Legion Post 199 “uninhabitable,” in Taylor’s words. The post didn’t have the funds to make the necessary renovations to continue using the post.
So, Taylor, said, ‘We went with Plan B.”
Plan B was building another structure, a 3,700-square-foot building that resembles a house. Phase 1 was completed in time for Veterans Day last November, and earlier this month saw the community come together to celebrate the conclusion of Phase 2, bringing construction to an end.
The post originally hired an architect to provide different options that included refurbishing the old building and building a new one. The original hope was to go the first route, but fundraising efforts weren’t able to generate enough funding for that, so the membership went with a new facility.
“It was a phased approach so we could get a building to have a place for veterans to hang out, support veterans, do counseling,” said Taylor, who now serves as Post 199 commander. “We never stopped doing our mission. We met at the Elks Lodge. We were always supporting veterans. During construction we set up a little temporary office we could work out of.
“We were still able to do our mission. But it gets limited when you really don’t have a home.”
A GoFundMe page provided a majority of the money needed, while the post’s rebuild effort also garnered local media attention. “In the last year we’ve created a fundraising committee,” Taylor said. “We now have a lot of fundraising events scheduled. In May we’re doing a trap shoot event. In October we’re doing a golf tournament. Both are things we’ve not done in the past. We plan to do those annually once we get them going.”
A full house showed up at the post for the Phase 2 celebration. During the event, members of the post talked about American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State, while Past Post Commander Gerry Garcia shared stories about how the post has assisted veterans in the area, including one whose family was in danger of foreclosure on their home.
Taylor said seeing the new facility completely opened, “is kind of hard to put into words. It was an emotional event. We were all super excited. It was heartwarming. The feeling of being able to accomplish something really great and all the positive feedback we’re getting from the community and from our members.”
It’s also helped grow the post’s membership.
“So many people don’t realize they’re eligible (for membership in The American Legion Family),” Taylor said. “I’ll use the (Sons of The American Legion) as an example. You talk to them and ask, ‘Hey, did you serve?’ They answer, ‘No, but my grandpa did or my father.’ Then I tell them they’re eligible to join (the SAL). We’re really doing a lot to try to increase our membership. That way, people in the community can feel a part of us more so than what they do.”
And Taylor believes the reason that community was so supportive of the building project is because it sees the value of American Legion Post 199. “I think we’ve done a great job of getting that word out,” Taylor said. “A lot of our members, they’ll run into people and they’ll talk to them about the post. The community then, after they’ve visited the post and talked to veterans, understands what our mission is. Word of mouth starts to get out, and that increases the participation and the excitement.”
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