Post 1758 in New York partnered with a local organization for the walk/run to help benefit the Legion’s Veterans & Children Foundation.
American Legion Post 1758 in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., and the local East Fishkill Rotary Club held an America 250 Veterans Walk/Run on June 14 to honor veterans and celebrate the semiquincentennial of the United States.
About 30 participants walked or ran the 5K route along the Dutchess County Rail Trail, with many wearing American Legion USA 250 Challenge shirts. Post 1758 used the Legion’s challenge as registration for the event. The USA 250 Challenge encourages participants to log 250 miles or hours in one or more of the categories – community service, physical fitness and mental wellness – in celebration of America’s 250th birthday on July 4. The registration fee of $30 supports the American Legion Veterans & Children Foundation.
“We’re happy that the registration funds went to a good, nationwide American Legion program like VCF (Veterans & Children Foundation),” said Post 1758 Commander Lance Ashworth. “And we especially liked the way the veterans from American Legion Post 1758 interacted with local citizens.”
A post on the Facebook page of the East Fishkill Rotary Club read, in part, “A special thank you goes to Lance Ashworth for his leadership, dedication and organizational skills in bringing this event together. Your hard work and commitment helped make the day a success. Most importantly, thank you to all of our veterans who came out and participated. We are grateful for your service, sacrifice and continued presence in our community. It was truly an honor to spend the afternoon with you.
“We enjoyed great conversations, shared plenty of laughs, cheered on our walkers and runners, and celebrated the spirit of service and patriotism together.
“Thank everyone who participated, volunteered, supported and helped honor our veterans. Events like these remind us what a strong and caring community we have here in East Fishkill. Together, we honored our veterans, strengthened our community connections, and created some great memories.”
With less than a month to go until July 4, you can still participate in the Legion’s USA 250 Challenge. Help meet National Commander Dan Wiley’s goal of $150,000 for VCF. Learn more here.
- USA250 Challenge