FLORIDA LEGION RIDERS…

LOOKING TO SURPASS LAST YEAR’S TOTAL OF $113,532 TO END VETERAN SUICIDE! 

The Florida Legion Riders kicked off their month-long efforts to raise funds and awareness for PROJECT: VetRelief’s Suicide Prevention Initiative. During this month, Chapters host rides, dinners, and other activities to earn points for the coveted District Trophy. The In-State Unity Ride and State Rally also take place: all of which the proceeds benefit PVR/SPI.

Each year, they set the bar higher and higher on the amount of support they provide our SPI program. However, the Legion Riders know their veteran community is counting on them and are always up for the challenge! They brought in nearly $115,000 last year, and want to raise more this year.

WAYS TO SUPPORT THE FLORIDA LEGION RIDERS:

al’s page, to an ALR Chapter Team page, or donate directly to the entire event efforts. However you choose to support, your generosity will be applied towards the joint cause of ending veteran suicide!

► Join the In-State Unity Ride – The Ride will be split into two routes: Atlantic and Gulf. Both routes will start from Lake City, FL which will include a Meet & Greet on Sunday, April 24th, and officially begin the next day (April 25th). Riders will stop at American Legion Posts along the way to collect donations. During the last day, both routes will team up to ride together and end in Tampa, FL.

We hope everyone will sign up and we encourage you to create your fundraising page. The more funds you raise to end veteran suicide the more COOL PRIZES you’ll earn.

► Ride Virtually – If you are unable to attend the actual ride, we have the Virtual Rider ($5) option. You can ride at least 22 miles and post a photo on your social media account using #iRideforthe22. Virtual Riders will be eligible for the COOL PRIZES, too.

► Make a Donation – Make your donation to an individual’s page, to an ALR Chapter Team page, or donate directly to the entire event efforts. However you choose to support, your generosity will be applied towards the joint cause of ending veteran suicide!

► Visit a Post Stop – Our riders would love to see your smiling faces as they pull into their next pit stop along their journey. Check out the Route agendas and plan to welcome them in from the road!

► Attend the State Rally – Upon completion of the In-State Unity Ride, April 30th, a Rally will be held in celebration at the OCC Road House & Museum in Clearwater. There will be live music, vendors, and raffles. The Rally is open to the public at no cost!

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WELCOME TO THE TEAM… PATTY & LOIS

We are extremely excited to officially announce that we recently welcomed Patty Halliday and Lois Halliday to the PROJECT: VetRelief Board of Directors!

Patty has been involved with American Legion Auxiliary since she was very young but has been a continuous member for twelve years under her father, Donald Halliday. She has also been the Department’s Secretary for the past five years and is a proud Navy veteran spouse. Lois served honorably in the United States Navy for four years and has held dual membership in the Legion and Auxiliary for seven years. She’s been on many Auxiliary committees from the Unity, District, and Department levels and is currently the Department’s Assistant Sergeant at Arms. Both ladies have expressed that they are honored to be on the PVR Board and looking forward to further helping Florida’s veterans.

In October, PVR issued an invitation to the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Florida Executive Committee (DEC) to invite 1-2 representatives to join our Board of Directors. Their DEC entertained nominations, held a vote, and elected Patty Halliday, their Department Secretary, and Lois Halliday. As an official program to The American Legion, Department of Florida, it was important to have the voice and influence of the entire Florida Legion Family, which includes the Auxiliary.

We are extremely grateful that the current Auxiliary Department President, Wanda Brandt, chose to support our program for her year. She pioneered the Auxiliary’s involvement from the Department level and opened the door of opportunity to engage their membership. However, Auxiliary members have always been welcomed to attend our classes and engage in our program.

Please help us welcome both Patty and Lois to our team!

Upcoming Suicide Prevention Events

Whether it’s a ruck walk, educational seminar, or speaking engagement, there’s no shortage of opportunities to alert our communities through our PVR/SPI Challenge 22 events on this serious issue our veterans are facing. These events are designed to encompass fundraising, creating awareness, and educating our communities on the importance of mental health within our veteran communities and understanding the severity of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

1,000+ Veterans Served!

During the month of October, PROJECT: VetRelief hit our first major milestone, helping 1,000 veterans with financial assistance! In fact, by the end of the month, we had reached 1,006 veterans served through our program. We are extremely proud of this accomplishment, as it has taken us over 8 years to get to this level of support.

We are expecting on reaching our second milestone early next year, which is providing $1,000,000 in nancial aid. Through October, we have given nearly $915,000!

Each year, our program has been able to help more and more service members and their families. However, we are only able to continue this much-needed support through the donations we receive from the Legion Family, corporations, and individuals.

THANK YOU to our sponsors, volunteer advocates, and all those that have supported The American Legion,  Department of Florida’s newest program. They have believed in our mission since the beginning and continue to dedicate their time, energy, and efforts to ensure we are successful and supporting the veteran community.

From the Board of Directors

PROJECT: VetRelief recently helped a disabled female veteran, who is a single mother of two children, by providing financial assistance for her rent. With this support, we were able to keep her and her children from being evicted. Today, they are safe, warm, and on their way to being self-sufficient.

Every day, the support from the Legion Family makes stories like this disabled female veterans possible.

However, we’d like to increase the number of families we serve in 2022. We are asking that you help ensure that we can continue our mission by making a year-end contribution. As you make your final 2021 tax-deductible donations, please consider the immediate, and in some cases, life-altering, impact you can make on Florida’s veterans, active-duty military members, and their families.

Donations can be made online (www.projectvetrelief.org/donate), mailed into the Department Headquarters, or given through the Commander’s Charity. We simply cannot increase our level of support without you!

Best wishes for a bright and beautiful holiday season, from our family here at PROJECT: VetRelief.

SUICIDE PREVENTION

Each quarter our Board of Directors agrees on providing grants to our vetted strategic partners to sponsor veterans through their existing programs or expand their services. Our goal is to provide a total of $22,000 every quarter to these partners. Thankfully, we have been able to meet this goal, because of the charitable efforts of the Legion Riders, and the several Challenge 22 Events hosted by the Legion Family, like the one recently held by Post 63 in Winter Garden.

Dr. Janell Royster, our newest member of our SPI Committee has been developing a metric system to quantify our impact on the veteran community and how we are helping to end veteran suicides. She is also working on expanding our footprint by identifying new organizations for potential strategic partners and building our network to cover the entire state of Florida.

Be on the lookout for fundraising events such as Post 69’s Challenge 22 event in January and the Legion Rider’s month-long Unity Ride campaign in the Spring.

FALL CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

This month is The American Legion, Department of Florida Fall Conference. The event will be held at the Renaissance at Sea World in Orlando, FL from November 5-7, 2021. PROJECT: VetRelief will have many opportunities for you to learn how to get involved, hear about the program’s successes, or introduce yourself to our new Case Worker, Lenora!

There will be two introductory Advocate Training classes this year; one of which is an exciting opportunity exclusively for Auxiliary members. During these classes, we will break down the details of the program and Advocate role. If you have attended one of our trainings before, this class is not for you.

For those who are already involved as a VetRelief Advocate, you should have received an email invitation to our special cocktail party that will be hosted by our Board President’s company, RL James, Inc. Bob James has also extended an invitation to his fellow Board Members and our Suicide Prevention Strategic Partners, so we hope that you will take advantage of this unique experience!

Be sure to check all Legion Family general session agendas, as PROJECT: VetRelief has been given the opportunity to provide a program report to all Legion Family entities! We are very happy about this, as it’s the first chance we will be able to present to the Auxiliary.

As always, we will have our spot in the vendor area for you to stop by to say hello or pick up any marketing materials. Since we are the charity of choice for both Jerry and Wanda Brandt, this would be a great time to share any upcoming events in support of their efforts or make a contribution to their fundraising project! – We hope to see you all there!

APPROACHING 1,000 VETERANS SERVED!

We are very excited to share with you that PROJECT: VetRelief is trending to reach a huge benchmark this month – assisting 1,000 veterans with financial support!

Each year, our program has been able to help more and more service members and their families. However, we are only able to continue this much-needed support through the donations we receive from the Legion Family, corporations, and individuals.

THANK YOU to our sponsors, volunteer advocates, and all those who believe in our mission, and continue to dedicate their time, energy, and support to our program! It takes us all working together to meet the demand of our veteran community. It’s because of you that we can be just that!

ADVOCATE INTEREST FORM

Calling all trained VetRelief Advocates – An email has gone out to our entire VetRelief Advocate database to ask if you are interested in continuing your volunteer role, or to be removed from our contact list. This is important because, after Fall Conference, the Advocate interview will become a part of our financial assistance process again. After January 1st, this will be mandatory.

For those who are attending Fall Conference, we have a special opportunity for you to join us for a cocktail party to learn more. To ensure we have enough food and drinks, please RSVP to your invitation. If you feel that you should have received an invitation and didn’t, please contact Jennifer Cooper, jcooper@floridalegion.org.

One of our largest fundraising events for PROJECT: VetRelief, the Annual Golf Tournament hosted by RL James, Inc., is scheduled for Monday, September 27th. This event is crucial to our program and without it would see a financial strain on our Emergency Assistance Program!

Golfers will enjoy a premier experience at the Bella Collina Golf Course, located in Monteverde, FL, and should expect a day filled with fun and many chances to win some cool prizes while staying safe.

Although the tournament is currently sold out, you can still participate. We will feature the Silent Auction online again this year. You do not have to be present to participate and anyone can bid on these items. Check it out using the link below:

>> WWW.PVRGOLF.ORG <<

We have a few volunteer positions available. If you’d like to come and help out, please contact Jennifer Cooper at 407-295-2631. Volunteers can expect to help with golfer registration, work a contest hole, or assist with our silent auction. Hope to see you there!

THE BRANDT’S CHOOSE PVR

Newly elected Florida Legion Department Commander and Florida Auxiliary President, Jerry and Wanda Brandt, chose to support PROJECT: VetRelief for their fundraising efforts during their one-year term in office.

Both Jerry and Wanda are passionate about assisting Florida’s veterans in all capacities! In addition to collecting funds, Commander Brandt would like to see our program enhance our directory of service organizations and ensure our Legion Posts have access to them. Although PROJECT: VetRelief has already started collecting this information, it’s currently provided to Advocate Training Attendees only.

Please join them in their efforts in providing the necessary support our veteran community needs. The Auxiliary has requested all Units to use the donation form when submitting your donations for President Wanda Brandt’s charity. For those supporting Commander Jerry Brandt, please ensure your checks are made payable to PROJECT: VetRelief, and “Commander’s Charity” is marked on the memo line.

If you are planning an event, we would like to hear all about it so we can promote it in our monthly newsletters, on the PROJECT: VetRelief website and Facebook page. We also have promotional materials that we can send for your events. Contact Jennifer Cooper by sending an email to jcooper@floridalegion.org with all of the
details!

CONGRATULATIONS TO JERRY BRANDT on becoming the 2021-2022 Department Commander for The American Legion, Department of Florida!

We were delighted to learn that he has chosen PROJECT: VetRelief as his charity for his Commander’s Project. Any donation marked as “Commander’s Charity”  will count towards his efforts. Commander Brandt has set a goal to raise $50,000 during his one-year term. Legion Posts are asked to make a one-time donation or hold fundraising event(s) to help him reach his goal.

If you are planning an event for PROJECT: VetRelief, we can help promote it. Contact Jennifer Cooper by sending an email to jcooper@floridalegion.org with all of the details!

CONVENTION RECAP

It was great being able to see some familiar faces during our Department Convention this past month. There were plenty of activities, classes, and presentations for you to partake in. Here are just a few of our highlights:

• Collected $112,083 in Legion Family donations ($54,500 from Home at Last; $32,163 from SAL; $17,800 from Legion; and $7,620 from ALR)
• Provided program updates, accomplishments, and future plans during the Legion, Sons of the American Legion and Legion Riders’ general sessions
• Trained new VetRelief Advocates

Additionally, the Florida American Legion Auxiliary elected Wanda Brandt as their next Department President. We are excited that she chose to support PVR as her project. Like us, her passion is to keep veterans off the streets; which has been our primary focus since 2014. The majority of our funds have gone towards housing assistance; like rent, mortgage, or HUD-VASH vouchers to keep
veterans within their own homes. We are extremely thrilled that the Auxiliary will be joining our mission to continue to provide this type of service to Florida’s veterans and their families!

Lastly, we are grateful for PDC William ‘Rick’ Johnson’s support over the last two years. He increased program awareness within the Legion Family and local communities, and raised over $300,000! THANK YOU, Rick! We are looking forward to having you as a Board of Directors and helping us continue to fundraise.

THANK YOU, HOME AT LAST

It was an honor to be selected by the folks from Home at Last to receive a portion of their funds as they dissolved their organization. They donated $54,500 to PROJECT: VetRelief to support veterans through financial hardships! Members of their Board of Directors are also affliated with Legion Post 55 in Clermont. THANK YOU!!

Department Convention… Getting Back to “Normal”

During the upcoming American Legion, Department of Florida Convention in July, we will be revealing how we will ease back into our normal application process, provide an update on our
program’s growth, and introduce you to our strategic partners through the Suicide Prevention Initiative.

The coronavirus pandemic has made things somewhat chaotic this past year, and we know that’s putting it lightly! Thankfully, our program was able to make quick decisions, adapt to the new
CDC guidelines, and still meet the increased demand of our veteran community.

As a result of that, we were forced to forego the VetRelief Advocate interview portion of the financial assistance process and our program is now facing a shortage of funds. As the world continues to open back up and things become more safe, we need to get back to our “normal”; focusing on our fundraising, and relying on our Advocates again.

Our VetRelief Advocates mean a lot to us, and we are so eager to see each and every one of you! Please be sure to be on the look out for our Convention activities, classes and presentations.

We hope to see you there!

Florida Legion Riders… Looking to surpass last year’s total of $60,734 to end veteran suicide! 

The Florida Legion Riders kicked off their registration for this year’s Unity Ride and State Rally. This event is a week-long motorcycle ride geared towards raising funds and awareness for PROJECT: VetRelief’s Suicide Prevention Initiative.

Last year’s event was altered due to the coronavirus pandemic. The annual in-person event was switched to a virtual ride. However, the Legion Riders knew their veteran community was counting on them and took on the challenge and was still able to raise over $60,000. They want to raise more this year, and it will take your help for them to do so!

The Unity Ride will be split into two routes: North and South. Each route will include a Meet & Greet on April 18th and officially begin the next day. The NORTH ROUTE will start in Pensacola and the SOUTH ROUTE in Marathon, FL. Both routes will stop at Posts along the way collecting donations and will end in Kissimmee on Friday, April 23rd. Hotels can be booked through AAA by calling Kelly Krupinsky at 904-543-6866.

We hope everyone will sign up and join the Legion Riders in their efforts to end veteran suicide. Once you’re registered, we encourage you to create your fundraising page. The more funds you raise the more COOL PRIZES you’ll earn.

If you are unable to attend the actual ride, we will have the Virtual Rider ($5) option. You can ride at least 22 miles and post a photo on your social media account using #iRideforthe22. Virtual Riders will be eligible for the COOL PRIZES, too.

The State Rally will be on Saturday, April 24th at Post 10 in Kissimmee, FL. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased using the registration link. You can still also raise funds and earn the COOL PRIZES. Please note, if you register for the Unity Ride, entry to the State Rally is also INCLUDED. There is no need to purchase a Rally Ticket, too.

Register Now

Challenge 22 Events… Kudos to Board Members on Their Events 

Thank you for everyone who attended last month’s Challenge 22 Events at American Legion Post 69 in Avon Park and Jacksonville Beach hosted by the 5th District. Two successful events to raise awareness for veteran suicide!

Both events were well attended and included vendors from Veteran Service Organizations and companies who provided Veteran benefits. Additionally, they each featured an awareness walk for Veteran suicide, attendees heard from expert speakers explaining warning signs and symptoms of mental health, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).Many of our SPI strategic partners were also in attendance.

Congratulations to Board Members, Jim Wineland and Larry Roberts, and their teams for putting together such great events!