It is hard to believe that by the time you are reading this article it will be Mid-Winter Forum. We are staying in the top 10 in the Nation so far but we need a big push on membership over the next 3 months. Kansas quota is 35,911 members. Our goal is to reach this number and be 100% before the first District Convention held the last weekend in March. Every post in the state should be personally contacting every member that has not renewed make them feel needed so they pay their 2012 membership. If you let the membership cards lay in an office and do nothing you are not caring for our veterans. Every District Officer should be helping all the posts in your district so we don’t leave anyone out. Every post officer should have written letters to every member that has not paid and be following up with personal contact and get them renewed.

This is a volunteer organization but everyone of you took positions in your post and district because you cared and wanted to make a difference and help our veterans. We have many post that are less then 60% when the state is 90% +. This is not acceptable.

We have a National Membership Representative, Jim Fiedler, coming to Kansas from February 8 through February 22 to work on membership in several posts. We will be in Hays 173, Topeka 400, Topeka 1, Junction City 45 and Wichita 401. We are expecting every post to have officers and members to assist in getting their membership to 100%. That includes district and post officers. These posts have a schedule as we will work every day Jim is here including Saturday and Sunday’s. I became Vice Commander intending to make a difference in Kansas and move to number one in the Nation. This will benefit every veteran as Kansas will have more pull when our National Commander is in Washington D. C. If you are in a leadership position in any level you need to be enthused and work membership all the time. Every where you go if you see a veterans tag or someone in uniform go up and introduce yourself and if not a member then tell them about all the benefits there are in belonging to the American Legion and get them signed up.

Congratulations to Hutchinson for winning the 500 race. Great Job. I have been in Hutchinson with membership and know that they have taken it very seriously this year and plan to make 100%. Every post should be working as hard.

Good news is introducing a new post in Wichita. Grasslands Estates is a retirement village where I spoke on Veterans Day. During the time there I found out that about 40 veterans were living there. After visiting with them and the administrator they decided that they would like to have there own post so they didn’t have to go out in the evenings to meetings. We have officially charted Grasslands Estates American Legion Post # 422 with 20 members and this past January 17, 2012 held their first meeting and with the help of National, State and District Representatives held an initiation for all new members and installed their officers. One of those veterans that joined is a Pearl Harbor survivor. This is an opportunity we all need to be aware of and when you visit a facility to speak on veterans behalf check out numbers and see if we can do the same thing in other areas. Every time you are with veterans outside of the American Legion you should be thinking membership and asking questions to get new members.

Lets everyone get back to basics and not let any member feel they don’t count. Talk to everyone personally. Let them know they are important and we need them as well as want them. Give them something to do in the post to keep them active. We still have four month and can make goal with everyone working. Thanks for all the hard work and we can make our goal and have Kansas finish on top. God Bless each of you, God Bless the American Legion and God Bless the United States of America.