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HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - Non-Agenda Item - Handoutr' �� �(✓ � J�I `mil =--( --��7J NEWPORT HARBOR POST 291 OF THE AMERICAN LEGION * eel Ni T ! ! au Legionnaires, rWelcome Back I to the • • As Commander, I would like to invite you to come _ and visit the Post with your friends. :.y A number of changes have i been accomplished in the �r ---- �- past few months which you should see. I _ We have a new look in the w Great Hall with an open _ r ceiling, new lighting, air conditioning (and heating) for the first time and new kitchen equipment. We have an expanded menu and we still have the best drinks in Newport Beach. 9 Evin Panto Commander Post 291 R UPCOMING EVENTS May 6 AUXILIARY 291 Summer Kick -Off Luau Party May 7 AL YACHT CLUB Opening Day May 10 AL POST 291 Election Day May 14 AL POST 291 Mother's Day May 22 AUXILIARY 291 Troop Shipping May 27 SAL SQUADRON 291 Fairway of Honor May 29 AL POST 291 Memorial Day June 14 SAL SQUADRON 291 Flag Day June 18 AL POST 291 Father's Day July 4 AL POST 291 Independence Day SEABREEZE Official Publication of the American Legion Newport Harbor, Inc. Post 291. Published quarterly and available at the Post front office with digital copies available on the Post website at www.al291.com. Occasionally mailed Non -Profit Postage Paid Newport Beach, CA. We reserve the right to edit any submission for purpose of publication. 02023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of American Legion Newport Harbor, Inc. AMERICAN LEGION NEWPORT HARBOR POST 291 Editorial Offices: 21515th Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663 Office 949.673.5070 Ext.1100 Email: admin@al291.com www.al291.com Production and Graphic Design, Mizka Brick Newport Harbor Post 291 The American Legion Family ®=AMERICAN LEGION AMERICAN LEGION OFFICERS Commander 1st Vice Commander 2nd Vice Commander 3rd Vice Commander Jr. Past Commander Finance Officer Sgt. at Arms Chaplain Historian Adjutant Judge Advocate Service Officer Evin Planto Brian Fleming Jr. Ray Ricard Cindy Baker Jon Reynolds Hal McNaughton "Skipper Tim" Bercovitz Brad McDermott Johnny Arganda Dave Ortolf Diane Torrianni Cory Virgil MEMBERS AT LARGE David Zamudio Eric Schroeder Mike Schubert Nick Giordano Dennis De Rosia Kevin Van Otterloo American Legion Post 291 Meetings General Membership Meeting 2nd Wednesday at 5:30pm E-Board Meeting 1st Thursday at 6:00pm AUXILIARY UNIT 291 OFFICERS LEGION President Cindy Edes 664 1st Vice President Mary Beth Martin 2nd Vice President Dana Johnston AUXILIARY Secretary Heidi Maturino Treasurer Janis Oakes Chaplain Sharon Morgan Historian Sue Lindsey Auxiliary Emergency Fund Jan Woolford Sergeant At Arms Jan Simmons Executive Committee Cynthia Culp Executive Committee Lily Romanow Executive Committee Kim Philhart Executive Committee Poppy Bobby Renaghan Jr Past President Debbie Schubert Parliamentarian Peggy Bengry Auxiliary Unit 291 Meetings General Membership Meeting 3rd Wednesday at 6:00pm E-Board Meeting 2nd Thursday at 6:00pm SAL SQUADRON 291 OFFICERS Commander Tim Sullivan 1st Vice Commander Jeff Gottfredson 2nd Vice Commander Art Jimenez 3rd Vice Commander John Long Adjutant Don Allen Finance Officer Todd Clucas Chaplain Randy MacDougall Judge Advocate & Historian Rene Alvarez Sgt. at Arms Brad Semonell SAL Squadron 291 Meetings General Membership Meeting 1st Wednesday at 6:00pm E-Board Meeting 1st Wednesday at 6:00pm -- AMERICAN LEGION YACHT CLUB OFFICERS \� ` I Commodore Vice Commodore Stephen Alfano David Campagnari PCHTCLUB 1 Rear Commodore George Shinrock Fleet Captain John Donahue Port Captain Ben Scanlan Jr. Staff Commodore Tommy Wheeler DIRECTORS Richard Savage Donald Swords Manju Vig Jim O'Connor George R. Kuper Brent Evans American Legion Yacht Club Meetings General Membership Meeting Every other Month 2nd Thursday at 5:30pm Bridge Meeting 4th Thursday at 6:00pm The Post has needed upgrades but I knew it when it was pointed out to me that Tracey's and my desk was a door on its side held up by three filing cabinets. We remodeled the office with new furniture, flooring, and paint. What a difference it made.. The Post Great Hall has been upgraded with air conditioning (and heating) that allows us to rent to our members and the community during the hot summer months. The new ceiling with exposed beams gives the legion hall a more modern and far more attractive appearance. t .E�AMERICAN LEGION Message from the Commander Evin Planto l would like to welcome everyone back to the post. Your Post has survived the pandemic and it is ready to serve you. We have made quite a few changes. There are some new events that you will find in the This Week at the Post email. There are specials in the bar including drinks and wine and the kitchen keeps coming up with new menu items. Come on by for a meal or a drink and look at the changes we have made. Lastly, our kitchen has been upgraded with new equipment and we now have improved our cooking capacity by more than 30%. Equally important, the new hood and fire suppression equipment have been installed and this kitchen will not burn the building down. We added 18 hours a week to the kitchen schedule so we now serve from our menu seven days a week to 7 or 8 pm. These projects were all completed in January and February by our team with me as the project manager. There was some resistance from the E-Board over various decisions that had to be made quickly but we worked with our contractors to complete the project successfully. The post had a record year in 2022 with over $4,100,000 in revenue and a small profit. Our future looks bright! Fortunately, previous Commanders managed to put aside some funds for the future. Without their efforts, the current projects would not have been possible. We need to thank D ug Nye and Jan Reynolds. SEABREEZE AL POST 291 1 3 The last four months have been very busy! The City's seawall project started out with a bang. Phase one went as smoothly as could be expected with little to no impact on our business. Phase two has not been smooth at all. Phase two work was to begin on January 9th. So, we moved boats to Marina Park in preparation for the work to begin. By early March the work had not started. The contractor had run into several problems, but we expect work to begin soon and to be completed by mid -May. In my effort to improve the membership experience, I was finally successful in getting the Executive Committee to support the membership desires for a remodeled hall, air conditioning and heat for the entire building, and increasing our kitchen capacity with new equipment to meet our expected business growth in 2023. Accomplishing all these projects in the month of January was quite an endeavor. The final city inspections were passed in the first week of February and the HVAC became operational in February. The Hall is usable, but we are still working on acoustics and a new audio-visual system. If you have not been to the post this year you should come down and see the improvements. I know you will be pleasantly surprised. We held the Superbowl Party hosted by the Crisp Family Foundation in the remodeled Hall with 250 marines from Camp Pendleton (check out the video on our website.) We also held our Grand Reopening on February 18th with a full house and the Vietnam Welcome Home party March 25 was a great success. Please check out our website to keep up with all the events at the post. This year my focus will be to work with the City to address ADA issues, the renewal of our lease in 2027 and projects for new upgraded bathrooms and kitchen expansion. In addition, we plan on replacing the Marina bathroom facilities. Lastly, I cannot forget our preparation for the Post's Centennial in 2024 celebrating 100 years in Newport Beach. As I learn more from the city and our plans for the Centennial Celebration, I will get the updates out to the membership. %" i00 00 00 0 100000 00 Our new remodeled kitchen .",Q05T 29I., AMERICAN LEGION 1924 -2024 * 100 YEARS IN NEWPORT BEACH * SEABREEZE AL POST 291 1 4 Letter from the Auxiliary Unit 291 Cindy Edes, President �—AMERICAN LEGION There is an old proverb that says, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." It was AUXILIARY been a crazy month of weather. As the clouds clear and the sky turns blue again, we regain our momentum and optimism to continue serving our military, veterans and their families. In March, the winners of our annual raffle were presented with their checks. We gave away $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 and $5,000 dollars. Four of the five winners were Legion members. Congratulations and thank you for supporting our Auxiliary!!!! Our poppy mailings were sent out to the Legion families. which are quart size bags of small personal hygiene items for the homeless. It also has a VA hotline number. At our general membership meeting in April, we will have open nominations for our 2023-2024 Executive Board. Any member in good standing may run for any office. You may contact any board member if your are interested. In May, the general membership will vote to elect a new board. We will also be presenting our 16 Girls State Delegates who we sponsor to attend a one week leadership course in Sacramento. The poppy is a very important symbol to the Auxiliary. In the spring of 1919, with the complete devastation on the Two major events occur in May. May 6th will be our summer battlefields of France, the poppy bloomed in abundance kick off "Luau Party." The committee is working out the where so many of our men died in battle. In 1920, the details as we speak; keep you eyes out for a flyer coming Auxiliary adopted the poppy as its memorial flower. The soon. And last but not least, Troop Shipping on May 20th. red crepe poppies you receive in the mail are hand made We have the items we need on fliers around the Post and by veterans and 100% of the donations go to our Veteran of course we accept cash donations. Each box cost $24 Affairs & Rehabilitation program. So please be generous to ship overseas. We typically ship well over 150 boxes at in vinL and -please fill aut thr� rQ-membr jpp+ngevent. with the name of your loved one who served so honorably. The cards will be on displayed on the mirrors inside the bar area. May 26th is National Poppy Day so don't forget to proudly display your poppy. The month of April is the "Month of the Military Child," #MOMC and April 15th is "Purple up Day," a day when purple is worn in support of the children of our military. Our Children and Youth Chairman Bea Foster will be busy all month with events planned for our children. I have served as this Unit's president for three years and it is time to pass the gavel to the next president. Even with the challenges of Covid, the shutting down of the Post and lack of access to the VA hospital, our Unit manages to do incredible things. I am so very proud to have served in this capacity and so very proud of everyone I have had the pleasure to work with. Yours in service, On April 17th, our Community Service Chairman Sharon Cynthia Edes Morgan and her helpers will be stuffing "Bags of Love" President The American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Program began in 1921. During "Poppy Days" each May, millions of red crepe paper poppies -handmade by veterans- are distributed across the country in exchange for donations that go directly to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans in our communities. Please support this year's Poppy Auxiliary Unit 291 campaign! The Sons of The American Legion Squadron 291 Timothy Sullivan, Commander Greetings from the largest Sons of the American Legion Squadron in the world. It is a great thing to be able to contribute once again to the Seabreeze. We always say that biggest isn't good enough, lets be BEST! Second best is always easier than best. We work hard and are always seeking to be BEST! Be proud Sons291, we do great things. I guess the main question for you is have you been a part of it? It's not to late. Jump right in! Best isn't always comfortable, but it's always worth it! We set our sights on the goal of giving away $100,000 a year. Between our giving and our community events we created, Flag Day and Patriot Day 9/11 Memorial, we've done just that every year, but int 2022 we were able to not include the holidays and the total was still over $100,000 in giving. I'm so proud of our executive team, all of the volunteers, and our team of friends who volunteer at every event and aren't even members. You've become our family and we are so grateful for you. With the choice to become BEST, there is often adversity and we have had our share. We've lost a Chaplain and a friend in Jeff White. Our 2nd Vice Commander was in the hospital for 18 months and as soon as he could, he got in there from his hospital bed and planned some of our greatest events. Why? Because that is how a person of excellence handles things. Art Jimenez is a true "overcomer" and we've benefited so much from his kindness, determination, creativity, and network of people. He is a great part of our success. John Long, who selects the charities that we fund, 0-1 SONS 291 SATURDAY MAY 27 is another great achiever who has put in hours to make sure that we are giving to causes that need our help and will benefit greatly in what they do for our Veterans. John started a $1000 stipend in the name of Walt Wagner for Veterans in college. The program now gives 10 $1000 stipends for 10 Veterans. Every member of our Board has stepped up, assisted others, stayed away from "no" and helped us find the "how". Don Allen, Todd Clucas, Rene Alvarez, Super Sarge Brad Seminole, Jeff Gottfredson, and our Chaplain's replacement, Randy McDougall, have all been integral parts of all of our successes! THANK YOU! What did we do last year? We connected with a great couple of guys with a dream called the Veterans Relief Foundation and we helped fund paddleboards to get paralyzed Veterans out on the water. We had two members participate in the Mt. Baldy Hike for Heroes, which gets amputees and otherwise injured Veterans out on a hike in the mountains. It's a tough hike! Another outstanding event! We give to charities that help "down on their luck" Veterans. They help them get apartments, furniture for apartments, even pets. We raised a record amount at the Christmas Boat Parade and reinvented our annual golf tournament to be more focused on the Memorial Day weekend and in honoring those we've lost in combat. FA I R WAY S = OF HONOR W MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT SONS 291 0 13 •r 13 <_ SCAN TO REGISTER SEABREEZE AL POST 291 1 6 We're always growing. Always adapting. Always getting better! Striving for BEST! Benny Hallock, Mike Manclark, and Steve Murow are a force to be reckoned with and our golf tournament is going to be crazy and raise more money than ever for our charities. Thank you, gentlemen for all that you are doing this year! Thank you to those who have recently given us extremely generous donations for believing in what we do! We give back to our Post by repairing things, replacing things, and in the form of Concierge/Parking duty. We save the Post at least $150,000 so far this year by the simple act of volunteering a few hours at the gate. It doesn't get easier than that. We have guys that have done this every week now since it began. They are the guys in the Navy Blue shirts that say SAL on the back in yellow. They earned those shirts and truthfully way more than we could ever repay them. THANK YOU S00000 MUCH! KEEP IT UP! NOW... WHAT ABOUT YOU? CAN YOU JOIN THEM? The theme is SONS291 striving to be BEST. Everyone has a unique situation. Everyone works or has a family or other obligations. Not everyone can volunteer nor has money to give. All that I ask is that each of us be honest with ourselves and give our BEST! Whatever that is for you, make that commitment in honor of your Fathers, Grandfathers, or any other relative that gave their BEST and some who made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives VETERANS FIRST! nN SEABREEZE AL POST 291 1 7 I AV POST 291 Old Glory Boat Parade 1:00 pm - 3:30pm ALYC Passing by the Post at about 1:20 Natiomal Military Appreciation Month A month to recognize and show appreciation to the Armed Forces of the United States of America. Don't forget the VEAF Memorial Day Campaign 'e..,I,,1FNt ' ELECTIONS NEWPORT HARBOR POST 291 Election of Officers & Executive Committee for Command Year 2023 - 2024 will be held Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 VOTING PLACE Newport Harbor Post 291 Members must present a current Membership card at the Post polling place to receive a ballot. Polls will be open and Post members may vote any time during the five -hour period 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm on the day of the election, Wednesday 10 May 2023. Post members must be present to vote. Neither proxy voting nor absentee voting is permitted. Ballots will be counted after the polls close at 7:00 pm Wednesday 10 May 2023. MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE 11:00am MONDAY 29TH 141 Cory Vigil American Legion Post 291 Service Officer 714.643.3854 OIF VETERAN Service Officer Duties Cory Vigil, Service Officer If you are new to the Post, you might ask: What does the Service Officer do? My name is Cory Vigil and I have been a service officer for three years. Some of my most crucial work came during the pandemic. I am also active in the community as a social worker working with veteran & military connected families. Our mission at the American Legion is to help local veterans and I get most of the calls within the community. Our Post is the largest American Legion Post in Southern California and because we are the largest, we get many calls from desperate veterans looking for assistance. The Service Officer takes those calls, qualifies the veteran, collects information on the application and provides help as needed. We try to never turn a veteran down. It may be as easy as a referral to another agency or help with a VA claim. It may require working with another agency and sharing costs. Even though there are over 100 veteran service providers in Orange County of all sizes, many have limited resources or restrictive grants that limit the help that they can provide. The Veteran Emergency Assistance Fund or VEAF offered by AL291 is flexible and quickly available. The VEAF has become an important resource for solving problems andis administered by the Service Officer. As an example, an ARMY veteran asked us to help him fix his very old car that he and his girlfriend were living in. Without the car, they might be forced onto the street. We were told that his car needed extensive work including the transmission. We asked him to take the car to another repair shop which we trust because it is owned by a veteran. We discovered that the car was not worth the money needed. We suggested selling the car for $400 to a junkyard and applying that money towards a transportation car which we would help him buy. He ended up with a working car that still had a few good years ahead of it. In addition, we helped get him off the street and into an apartment using the VA VASH program. He was very appreciative of the coaching and the financial support to help him become more stable. Now he is actively looking for a job. Respectfully, Cory Vigil, Service Officer OIF VETERAN VETERANS RESOURCES Fellow Veterans, We have four local resources for our medical and related questions such as benefits, health issues and burial. VA Hospital of Long Beach Department of Veteran Affairs Tel: 562.826.8000 Laguna Hills VA Clinic 23719 Moulton Parkway Laguna Hills, CA 92653 - Tel: 949.587.3700 Anaheim VA Clinic 2569 W. Woodland Dr. Anaheim, CA 92801 - Tel: 714.763.5300 Santa Ana VA Clinic 1506 Brookhollow Dr, Suite 100 Santa Ana, CA 92705 - Tel: 714.434.4600 Riverside National Cemetery 22495 Van Buren Blvd. Riverside, CA 92518 Tel: 951.653.8417 • Fax: 951.653.5233 County Veteran Service Office 1300 South Grand Ave. Santa Ana, CA 92705 - Tel: 714.480.6555 County Veterans & Military Families Collaborative OCVMFC Coordinator Jeff Pagano Email: paganoj@uci.edu Tel: 949.824.2435 Brad McDermott, Chaplain Email: chaplain@al291.com Tel: 949.596.5085 Cory Vigil, Service Officer Email: coryvigil61@gmail.com Tel: 714.643.3854 AMERICAN LEGION 10 RIE 2 2023 Membership Renewal SCAN - �- Restaurant Dining Hour Monday 11:30 am — 8:00 pm Tuesday Lunch 11:30 — 3:00 pm Taco Tuesday 4:00 — 7:00 pm Wednesday 11:30 am — 7:00 pm Thursday 11:30 am — 8:00 pm Friday & Saturday 11:30 am — 8:00 p Sunday 10:00 am — 8:00 pm Breakfast 10:00 am —12:00 pm Lunch & Dinner 12:00 — 8:00 pm �� Commodore's Update ,ixrcLU$ Stephen Alfano, ALYC Commodore n ALYC Commodore's Update Spring 2023 2023 started off with a bang. We had our Commodore's Ball at Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in January due to the construction at the Post. It was a great time with "M Street Band" providing the entertainment. Michael Darr was recognized as our yachtsman of the year and Larry Munroe was recognized for member of the year. We are grateful to all they did in the past year to help our club. We had many volunteers throughout 2022 and could not have hosted so many wonderful events without all our volunteers. Thank you! We have continued our monthly socials usually held on the second Saturday of each month. In March George Kuper, Tommy Wheeler, and Mike Berdine put on a fantastic Sea Shanty Festival complete with singing, drinks, and laughs. Next month we will host a wine tasting aboard Valor during our cruise to Dana Point. No need for a boat, drive down and join in on the fun. We will be having dinner at Dana West Yacht Club following the wine tasting on Saturday April 1st. Cruises to and from Dana Point on Valor will be available as well as a Whale watching cruise. In early March we had a Whale watching cruise on Valor and are hosting a Veteran's cruise on March 18th. Check the calendar online and sign up for some events and come out and meet your fellow members. We had our first General Membership meeting in the newly renovated hall on February 3rd. Lt Smith, the CO of the Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal, entertained us with stories of the activities in and out of the harbor. Our next GMM will be April 13th with details to come soon. The ALYC will once again be hosting the easter egg hunt on April 9th. Check the post event calendar for more information. In May, we are planning another Stand Up Paddleboard clinic as well as a Duffy Rally. The Dive and Snorkel group has been active with some fascinating speakers and is going to Sau Bay, Fiji April 26. Check the calendar on the website for more information and join us at a Dive meeting the last Wednesday of each month. Wyatt Hoag has done an outstanding job setting up informative speakers and organizing fun activities. If you want to learn how to dive Wyatt can get you pointed in the right direction. The summer sailboat racing season will be here in no time with Monday Sundowner's races starting May 1st. Join up on the West patio after racing for awards and dinner. Our race chair, Scott Barnes, has developed a new race "C's the Day" to be held on April 29th. Check the calendar for details on these races. If you are interested in joining the race committee and helping us host these events please contact our Vice Commodore, David Campagnari, at vicecommodore@alyc.com. I encourage you all to volunteer for some upcoming events and meet your fellow members. We have a fun engaged group of members and I am eager to meet everyone. Sincerely, O 4 Stephen Alfano Commodore, 2023 SEABREEZE AL POST 291 1 12 Post 291 History American Legion Post 291 was founded in 1924 by a group of World War I veterans. One of the first problems to be solved by the new Post was securing a permanent home for meetings. By various fundraising activities, enough money was raised to purchase from the City a building site on 10th Street, near the Balboa Pavilion, for the enormous sum of $1,500. With the property went a 25 year lease on the tidelands intervening between it and the bay. The Post incorporated and held more fundraisers to provide for actual construction of a Post facility. Original plans called for a two story but but it was decided that would be too expensive. In October,1925, construction began. The building, complete with all Celebrating loo Years of History in Newport Beach 1924-2024 L I equipment including wiring and plumbing, cost $1,900. and was financed by a mortgage from the Bank of Balboa. The note was personally secured by several members of the Post. The new but was build almost entirely by volunteer labor provided by Post 291 Legionnaires and took about two months to complete. The first meeting was held in the new but on December 2,1925. Post 291 then held its next great membership drive, starting in February 1926. That resulted in a total Post membership of 80 who met for dinner in the new but on April 20, 1926. The original but on 10th Street showing the original organizing meeting of Post 291 in 1924. -1 •ter` �' ;* ��'�� .. I U• `� On March 26,1926, the Post voted to use a portion of its property for another but site for the Newport Beach Boy Scout Troop which was formed in 1922 by Scoutmaster A.J. Twist. The Post then sponsored Boy Scout Troop 291 and eventually built another hut. Scouting always had a problem with what to do with boys a year or two younger than the minimum scout age of 12 years. Scoutmaster Twist solved SEABREEZE AL POST 291 1 13 the problem by creating a branch called "Cubs." At that time, Cubs had no official standing in Scouting circles, but by 1929, the movement inaugurated by Twist was formally adopted and recognized by the National Council of Boy Scouts of America. Thus, the Cub Scouts of America organization was born right here at Newport Harbor Post 291. On April 20, 1936, a new lease was granted to Post 291 on the tidelands north of Bay Avenue but the property was too small for the Post's purposes. On September 2, 1940, the lease of April 20, 1936, was canceled by mutual agreement with the City. On September 2, 1940, the City granted to Post 291 a new lease on 15th Street (our current location) and set aside the tidelands for a permanent home for the Post. The original building here at 15th Street was built in 1940 with the Legion Great Hall. Most of the work was done by volunteer members and friends. In February 1958, the American Legion started construction of a public marina with all construction funds provided by Post 291. In July 1958, bulkheads and dredging commenced. The American Legion Yacht Club founded with the completion of the marina sponsors many harbor events including the annual July Fourth Old Glory Boat Parade which has become one of the largest spectator events of the summer in Newport Beach. On the night of November 14, 1979, a devastating fire destroyed most of the building. The building was fully engaged when the fire department arrived and during the three hour battle to save the building three local firemen were injured. A floor furnace left on all night was found to be the source of the blaze. Most of the Post's pictures and memorabilia of WWI and WWII veterans were lost in the fire. Fortunately, the building was insured and with the insurance money and volunteer labor from Post members, the building including the Great Hall was rebuilt by July 1980. The Newport Beach Historical Society designated the Legion Great Hall as a Historical Site on May 18,1995. The Post negotiated a new lease with the City of Newport Beach in late 2002. This 25 year lease with an option for another 25 years thus leaves a path for our future veterans to follow. During our entire 99 year history, Newport Harbor Post 291 has shown a steadfast commitment to supporting all veterans in Orange County. In addition, we have provided an inexpensive venue for parties, anniversaries, and celebrations of life for the entire community. The Post offers during the year public service programs such as the Veterans Emergency Assistance Fund (VEAF,) sponsorship of Girls and Boys State, Oratorical and Americanism contests for local high school students and support for first responders including police and firemen with the annual Law and Order banquet and awards ceremony. On July 4th, 2024, American Legion Post 291 Newport Harbor will celebrate its 100th anniversary in Newport Beach. The Post has supported our local veterans and active duty military with the promotion of Americanism and Patriotism throughout its history and has become an institution in Newport Beach serving the entire community. Please join us to celebrate this event in 2024 and, if you have old pictures of Post events taken by relatives, please share them with us. This picture shows - rebuilt Post 291 after the devastating - in 1979 SEABREEZE AL POST 291 1 14 Proposed "public comments" to the NB City Council on July 11, 2023 My name is Chase Wickersham, I am a Vietnam combat veteran, a member of the American Legion and a homeowner in Corona Del Mar for the past 35 years. Today I am here to update you on Newport Harbor Post 291 of the American Legion and announce that our 1001h anniversary in Newport Beach will be celebrated on July 41h 2024. Post 291 currently has a little more than 4000 veteran members as Legionnaires (second largest in the Country), and about 7000 total members in all four of our programs. More than 1000 of our member families live in Newport Beach. Post 291 was founded by a small group of WWI veterans in 1924. The City offered the Post our current location on 15th St in 1939 with a lease of the tidelands for an eventual marina. In 1979 a devastating fire destroyed most of the building but with the help of the local community, the building was rebuilt in 1980. The Newport Beach Historical Society designated the Legion Great Hall as a "historical site" on May 18, 1995. We have completed in the past few months the first major remodel of the building since that fire. The Great Hall has a new look with exposed beams, new lighting and a new sound system, the Hall is now air conditioned for first time since it was built in 1950, the front office has new furniture and paint and, most important, new equipment has been installed in the kitchen increasing capacity by 30%. The City has also just completed a major project reinforcing of the marina seawall. Why is Post 291 important to Newport Beach? The Post has become an important local charity over the past 100 years supporting our local veterans and the community while promoting Americanism and Patriotism. Post 291 gives all Orange County veterans, particularly our low income veterans, access to the amenities of our beautiful harbor. Without the American Legion, many of our veterans could not afford to bring their families to Newport for dinner on our patio overlooking the harbor. Post 291 also provides a low cost venue for events and is always available to the general public. The Post offers many public service programs including the VEAF which gives financial assistance to veterans and provides motel vouchers to get homeless veterans off the street immediately. Today, I would like to ask the Council for its support for our 100th anniversary celebration next year. We want the City of Newport Beach to be our partner celebrating 100 years of service to the community. Thank you for supporting our local OC veterans and please continue helping us to keep patriotism alive in Newport Beach. * 100 YEARS IN NEVOWPORT BEACH* �.-:-- t.,,aaina in the Community... Crisp Imaging Hosts 12th Annual Super Bowl Party for Camp Pendleton Marines & Veterans at the American Legion Post 291 in Newport Beach, CA Crisp Imaging CEO Gary Crisp said, "It's a joy to put on this day of fun and football for these men and women who serve our country. They don't generally get much recognition, and seeing their faces when they realize this party is all for them is beyond gratifying." (Newport Beach Independent) on the agenda at the Super Bowl Party (photo he LarrenaeShaarvo_ Hogfg tG'ary and Carter Crisp welcoming hundreds of Marines from Camp Pendleton dig into then' breakfast at the Super Bowl Party appearance at the Super Bowl Party (photo hr Lawrence Shenwini (photo he Lawrence Sherwin) Las Vegas Raiderettes cheerleading squad National Anthem being sung of the Super Bowl Party (Photo hy Mind). Scharer, Orange Counly RegisterISMG) www.CRISPIMG.com Post 291 Newport Harbor —=— AMERICAN LEGION 215 15th Street Newport Beach, CA 92663 1 NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEWPORT BEACH, CA PERMIT NO. 70 Huge investment made in AL291 Over the past three months our Post team, lead by Commander Evin Planto as project manager, has completed the largest remodel of the Post in decades. The Great Hall has a new look with exposed beams, the Hall is now air conditioned for the first time since it was built in 1950, the front office has new furniture and paint, and new equipment has been installed in the kitchen increasing capacity by 30%. Come and see the improvements and bring your friends. Chef Ulises Dominguez and Dennis Fitzpatrick, Restaurant Operations Manager