'This is going to make our post better'

As commander of the Department of Tennessee, Legionnaire Nancy Harper is interested in the membership efforts of her entire state. But she took a special interest in a recent 10th District revitalization effort based out of Autress Russell Post 27 in Memphis – Harper’s home post.

National staff teamed up with area Legionnaires during the three-day effort that resulted in more than 120 either new members or department headquarters post members being transferred into local posts.

“In our area, there are a vast number of veterans that are not being reached,” said Harper, who doubles as Post 27’s adjutant. “This was a chance to change that.”

The 10th District hadn’t had a revitalization effort in more than a decade. Harper and 10th District Commander Rickie Parker were able to rally volunteers around the effort.

“At a (Post 27) meeting, I asked our members to come out and support this effort so we could reach as many veterans as possible,” Harper said. “We told them that we’d train them. We were not going to send them out there as wild turkeys. We were going to give them the tools they needed to be successful, and we told them that. And they showed up.”

The revitalization effort resulted in 122 department headquarters post members being transferred into local posts and two new members being signed up. Four veterans received assistance from an American Legion service officer participating in the event; one of those veterans who was helped then volunteered at the revitalization for two days.

“This is going to make our post better,” Harper said. “It’s going to make it bigger. We don’t ask new members to take a position or help out, but we tell them that we do have jobs if they want them. And we ask that if they have new ideas that they bring them to the table. We’ll listen to every new idea.”

Other recent revitalization efforts have enjoyed similar success. In George P. Vanderveer Post 129 in Tom River, N.J., 102 headquarters post members were transferred into local posts, while another five former members were either renewed or reinstated. And in Dallas during an effort based out of Love Field Post 453, 104 members were either renewed or transferred into local posts.

To set up a district revitalization in your state, contact your department headquarters.