Let’s serve our communities in 250 ways or more

USA 250 Challenge offers opportunities to do what the American Legion Family does best.

American Legion Family,

Community service is the heart and soul of our organizations.

This year, in honor of our nation’s semiquincentennial, the American Legion Family USA 250 Challenge is calling on all participants to perform 250 acts of service, fitness, wellness or something else that makes a difference in our own lives or the lives of others.

So, when we choose the service option, what might the American Legion Family do?

Here are some suggestions:

1.     Collect at least 250 unusable U.S. flags in your community and perform an official flag ceremony.

2.     Honor our fallen comrades by cleaning up no less than 250 grave markers or logging 250 hours at a veterans cemetery or memorial site. At this time of government shutdown, American Legion Family assistance may be extremely important at sites on federal property where maintenance staff are furloughed.

3.     Secure and place 250 or more wreaths to place at the graves of veterans, working with Wreaths Across America.

4.     Plan and execute a community clean-up project. We want our communities to be as spruced up as possible for the 250^th anniversary of our great nation. This could be a 250-hour effort – a highway or rest area cleanup, a city park project or removal of graffiti from visible entry points to our communities.

5.     Provide flag-respect education programs to 250 or more children. They might be schoolchildren, Scouting units, church youth groups or others.

6.     Support the troops by preparing 250 care packages to send to those deployed in our Armed Forces.

7.     Give 250 hours of assistance for disabled veterans (help build a wheelchair ramp, home repairs, yardwork, shopping, driving or whatever is needed).

8.     Collect and distribute 250 items or kits and distribute them to homeless veterans, or those living in veterans retirement homes. Check with the facility in your area on what is needed most.

9.     Log at least 250 volunteer hours in mentoring 250 or more young people through American Legion Family youth programs over the course of our nation’s 250th year.

10.  Raise $250 or more and make a group donation to the American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation, which helps our organization provide free claims assistance for veterans and stability at home when a member of the military or a qualified veteran with minor children at home sustain a severe financial emergency.

As you perform these 250 acts of community service – or others of your own choosing – proudly wear your American Legion Family USA 250 Challenge shirts and let the public know that we, as veterans and patriotic family members, take pride in our nation all the time, especially at this milestone year. Log your hours and share your story of community service on the legiontown.org site under the America 250 or USA 250 Challenge category.

American Legion Past National Commander
Daniel J. Seehafer
Chairman, American Legion Ad Hoc Committee on the 250^th Anniversary of America