National Commander Wiley presents special plaques to the top fundraising departments in six categories of the year-long fundraiser for VCF.
American Legion National Commander Dan Wiley presented plaques to the departments that won their respective fundraising categories in the USA 250 Challenge.
“It’s my honor to recognize these outstanding departments with their well-deserved awards,” Wiley said as he handed out the awards on stage Sept. 2 during the Legion’s national convention in Louisville, Ky.
For the fundraising part of the challenge, departments were broken up into six categories, based on membership size. The six winning departments were Indiana, California, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Rhode Island.
Accepting on behalf of Indiana was 2025-2026 Department Commander Ron Patterson, who raised $22,137. The next top fundraisers were Frank Burks, Chris Yates, Jim Mulvey, Gilbert San Roman, Jesse Limanek and Mitchell Keil.
Limanek and Keil helped propel the Department of Massachusetts from third to first in its category, thanks to $2,800 in donations over three days in mid-June during a special 250-mile continuous walk throughout the state.
All fundraising for the 250 Challenge benefitted the Veterans & Children Foundation, which supports disabled veterans and military families facing financial burdens.
- USA250 Challenge