Tag Archives: care

Commanders Call – November 2016

Ted Lanske 319-240-0734 tedsph98@aol.com

Ted Lanske
319-240-0734
tedsph98@aol.com

*I would like to express my condolences to the family and friends of Wayne Platte.  Not mentioned in his obituary; Wayne had been a member of AMVETS Post 79 and a regular for several years, sharing stories, laughter and enjoying life.  On the occasions that we would have music, you would find Wayne on the dance floor, truly having a great time.  I will remember that twinkle in his eye and know there was a hint of mischief in the air.  Rest in peace and Thank You for serving our country.

*Although they were not members; but have family that are a part of our AMVETS family, I would like to offer my condolences to the families of Virgil Fasse and Roberta Ramker.  Please know that we understand the loss you feel and are willing to provide support, shoulder or a hug if needed.

*Due to scheduling conflicts, this newsletter is being written early, so if something is missed, please understand it was not intentional.

*Will provide an update or evaluation of how our combined AMVETS Membership dinner went, in the December newsletter, and would ask for input from those that attended.

*I want to THANK everyone that is friends on facebook  Amvets Post 79 and has “share” or “like” our various pages.  We reached a high during the week of October 2-9 of over 1400 hits, which I think is amazing.  President Mary Steinbach and I would hope that more of you would “share” and “like”, plus “invite” friends to our activities on facebook or share www.amvets79.us .  You may wonder “why should I care or take the time?”; so will provide two quick stories.  This past year I received phone calls: (1) from Des Moines from the Son in Law of a Veteran being buried in Iowa Falls asking how his Father in Law could receive a Veteran’s funeral, (2) from a Veteran in Oklahoma asking for help regarding accessing a phone number for an AMVETS Post in Norman, OK.  Fortunately, in both cases, I was able to assist them, BUT, that is the reach we have with our facebook and website. With the publicity of our new facility and because my name and phone number are available, I would expect questions and hope I can provide answers or direction.  A closer to home reason is that the more people we reach during fundraising activities, the increase in participation also increases the dollars raised and the assistance we can provide to others.  The ability to help others should be our mission.

*wavpTHANKS to everyone that attended, participated, or helped with the Grand Opening.  What a great day and everything went so well, it was almost scary.  It started with a beautiful day, great breakfast, meaningful program and so many people just sharing the day.  Thanks to Hy-Vee for providing the afternoon hotdogs and the busy staff.  A great way to start that 1st page, chapter 1, in a new book called WAVP.

* veterans-day1Mark your calendars for November 11th, Veterans Day 2016.  There are activities all over the State regarding Veterans Day and Waverly is no different.  The Marine Corps League is the VSO responsible for this year’s activities honoring the day at the Waverly Area Veterans Post.  Along with that is a host of volunteers providing many services throughout the day.  Watch for schedules that will be posted on line, facebook, newspaper and at the Post in the future.  Thank you in advance.

*happy-thanksgiving-1My family would like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you make it a family affair.  If you are traveling, may your travels be safe and on time.  Now that we know the weather is starting to change, please realize patches of ice or frost could appear on the roadways, so give yourself extra time and be vigilant of your surroundings.

Help AMVETS Help Veterans

AMVETS Presents Care Bears to Law Enforcement

Left to Right: Commander Ted Lanske, Sheriff Dan Pickett, Chief Richard Pursell and Finance Officer Carl Benning

Left to Right: Commander Ted Lanske, Sheriff Dan Pickett, Chief Richard Pursell and Finance Officer Carl Benning

AMVETS Post 79 has been involved in the “Care Bear” program for several years.  This is a program supported by National and the Department, but is administered and financed by the local posts.

The concept is to furnish “teddy bears” to local emergency departments that they can carry in their vehicles and when called to an emergency where young children are involved, they can give this “Care Bear” to a child under stress.  We realize that responding personnel must first do their job, whether it is traffic control, 1st Aid, calling for support or whatever is needed to keep the area safe, and that the “Care Bear” may come later after things are under control.  At that point, if children are involved, the comfort of something soft to hold and hug can become a magical moment.  Most of us, at some point in our lives have had our own “teddy bear” or another stuffed toy that we have hugged and loved, possibly till the stuffing came out.  So I would ask for your support of this project, either financially or verbally by passing this on to others.

There are several AMVET posts in Iowa involved with this program, and comments we have received from a few of these emergency personnel has been very positive.  Fortunately, our local departments hand out very few, but this is not true for other areas, especially those located near communities like Des Moines or Cedar Rapids.

On Thursday, May 1, 2014, Ted Lanske and Carl Benning representing AMVETS Post 79 presented “Care Bears” to Chief Richard Pursell, Waverly Police Department and Sheriff Dan Pickett, Bremer County.