For community, state and nation

Election season is over and America moves forward, as always, regardless of who lives in the White House or roams the halls of Congress. As important attention was given to the campaigns of 2016 and our nation’s future, I thought about what future Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill said when he first ran for office: “All politics is local.”

So, too, is The American Legion, and that’s what makes us vital to this nation, no matter the political season or climate.

In my first four months as national commander, I’ve been unsurprised but awestruck by the compassion, dedication and influence American Legion Family members have on local communities in every corner of the country. I am equally confident we can convert those life-changing effects into membership growth, particularly as the Legion moves closer to its centennial. Volunteerism can be contagious.

As The American Legion’s Department of Indiana so aptly states in its advertising and digital media platforms, “We Change Lives.”

In Cripple Creek, Colo., Post 171 did that for disabled Marine Corps veteran Andrew Smith and his 7-year-old son, Laren. “There were points when my hope and faith got pretty thin,” said Smith, a former machine gunner, after a mold infestation forced them to leave their home. “I was sure going to miss my home, my community. It wasn’t long after that The American Legion wanted to get involved and said, ‘We’d be honored if you let us.’ The amount of honor that they get from helping me doesn’t compare to the amount of honor I get from them helping me.” The house is now being rebuilt, mold-free, thanks to Post 171 volunteers.

In Cascade, Idaho, Post 60 was uncertain why membership had grown stagnant in recent years. They developed a strategy: find critical needs in the community and fulfill them. Members inserted themselves into the school system and social services. They found that some children in town went without warm coats, gloves and boots in the winter. They raised the money, discreetly found the families in need, provided the goods, and built vital relationships among educators, local case workers and the families they helped. Membership soon doubled.

In Milborn, Del., Post 28 has seen its volunteer efforts in support of poultry producer Mountaire and Thanksgiving for Thousands expand from the local post to the district to the state and beyond. Nearly 10,000 dinners are served to folks in need, whose lives are changed through American Legion volunteerism. “Helping people have a Thanksgiving dinner who wouldn’t normally have one, to me, was a good idea,” member Jim Lafferty said. “That’s what the Legion is about.”

These are just three examples among tens of thousands.

The American Legion does change lives. To continue doing so long into our second century, we must share our passion to help others throughout local communities. We must invite new members to join us and be a part of something bigger than oneself, a lesson we all understand from the service. On behalf of all Legion Family volunteers and those who benefit, let’s make a new year’s resolution to share our stories, grow membership and keep changing lives for years to come.