Commander Reistad recognizes post excellence

To qualify for American Legion National Commander Brett Reistad's Post Excellence Award, a post is required to achieve excellence in four areas: membership, submission of the Consolidated Post Report (CPR), sharing of post history, and community activity. The award is a banner, as seen in the above photo.

The purposes of this award are membership growth, exposure of American Legion values to the youth of the community, and increased visibility of the American Legion Family through service projects. A post achieving this qualification will have had numerous post members involved in planning and achieving these goals. Many posts are most likely already active in these areas and will qualify without extra effort. Others, however, will need to increase their efforts in one or more areas to qualify for the award.

The following are the standards that must be achieved in each area to receive the Post Excellence Award:

Membership. Post membership must be at least one member greater than the previous year. At least one post officer attends district meetings.

Consolidated Post Report. CPRs must be submitted by July 1. The American Legion's federal charter requires the submission of an annual report to Congress on activities for the year. MyLegion.org has made it simple for a post to submit its CPR in a timely manner or click here to download a CPR.

Sharing of post history. The American Legion's Centennial web page (https://centennial.legion.org) allows posts to convey their legacy by sharing historical photos, videos and print material.

Community activity. The post must conduct an event that connects the local community with The American Legion post. The objective is to open your doors, welcome the community in, and educate them on what The American Legion is all about and how the post is an asset to the community. Posts do not need to have a physical building to accomplish this. This activity can be held in a park, a community center, or anywhere the post can welcome and interact with the local community.

The district commander responsible for the post will certify a post as having achieved the four specified criteria. The district commander will submit a list of posts meeting the criteria to department headquarters. That list should include the post name, phone number, address and commander's name. If possible, accompany the last two criteria with copies of press releases submitted to the local media about the projects to show that the projects were not only accomplished but that an attempt was made to enhance the image of The American Legion through local media. The copy submitted should include a date and time stamp showing receipt by the media outlet.

The department adjutant will transmit information as posts qualify to:

The American Legion National Headquarters

Attn: Membership

P.O. Box 1055

Indianapolis, IN 46206-1055