Giving back during holiday week
♦ Cedartown American Legion visits local nursing homes with watermelon, retires flags for Independence Day
The American Legion is celebrating its 99th birthday this year and America has enjoyed freedom from England for 242 years.
Post 86 of The American Legion concluded that the best way to celebrate its organization’s birthday and honor the freedoms we all hold dear.
On the hill of The American Legion Brewster-Cleveland Post 86 in Cedartown, is a small brigade of volunteers quietly counting plates, forks, napkins, and tablecloths.
The Executive Board and The Ladies Auxiliary at Post 86 planned a huge surprise for every resident and every staff member at each nursing home, assisted living home, the Senior and Kaleidoscope for the 4th of July Celebration Week at the Post.
Preparation for the event actually started a couple of months ago. The Post first had to raise enough money to bring the project to life. The Ladies Auxiliary personalized flags for each guest, and helped serve watermelon to the residents and staff.
“The new Executive Board will be sworn into office at the July meeting. We want to get back to the basics. We are a part of this community. We are a charity organization that was born to help Veterans and their families,” said Commander Tim Hayes. Commander Hayes is the current Acting Commander, and he will be sworn in as the Post’s Commander this Thursday. “Our project for the week of the 4th was delivering watermelons to all the nursing homes, assisted living homes in Polk County, the Senior Center and Kaleidoscope’s students,”
Commander Hayes ended with “It
was a wonderful and rewarding 4th of July week.”
Member Paul Davis and owner of Penny Pincher’s Grocery in Cedartown donated 25 watermelons. Post 86 purchased another 50 watermelons at a discount from Penny Pinchers. Post 86 will slice and dice over 600 servings by day’s end on Independence Day.
The Fundraising committee scheduled three stops on July 2 (250+ slices) and another four stops on July 3 (another 350+ slices).
On the 4th Post 86 invited The Boy Scouts of America, Cedartown 4th to participate their Changing of the Flag Ceremony.
Commander Hayes opened the Ceremony. Dan Guinn, Adjutant of Post 86, and newly elected Vice Commander of Georgia’s 7th District, read the order and declaration of the Commander. Buddy Cagle, Senior Vice Commander read a portion of our Declaration of Independence. Post 86’s Junior Vice Commander Tom Mears lead the opening and closing prayers.
The Commander ended the Ceremony with a moment of silence “in memory and in honor of the soldiers of the Revolutionary War and those after them who have fought that liberty might endure.”
The order of the day was the Changing of the Flag. Commander Hayes had ordered, “our worn set of old colors be fittingly retired.” The Boy Scouts of America Troop 40 changed our old tattered and faded flag with a bright and colorful new flag.
Contributed by Post 86 member Dan Guinn.