Director: Sherri Ward
March was a very productive month for the Riders. We were able to donate to two other Posts that needed assistance which always makes us feel proud. This is our 6th year and we continue to grow, approximately 110 members strong.
We have our normal Wednesday rides, Sunday bingo lunches, PIC-3 raffle ticket sales (drawing April 16 after 1pm Florida Lottery PIC 3) and a Rider Easter Egg hunt and cookout.
Please be sure to get your nominations in this month for Officers as April is our final month before elections.
Have a very Happy Easter.
As always Ride for the Cause not the Applause.
APRIL 2023
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Happy New Year Legion Family.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. The new year will bring many new events for the Riders, and we are very excited. We will also be hosting another dance in the hall in February so get ready to have a ball, Mardi Gras style. Hope to see you there.
The trike raffle was a great success, and the Grand prize winner Jan Roemer was thrilled when we called. This raffle enables us to donate to many worthy Veteran causes. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped us, especially Ruthann who collected all the great prizes for us, everyone who helped sell the tickets, and all of you who bought them.
The Wednesday rides will continue, and we are still in the kitchen the 1st and 3rd Sunday except this month as the kitchen is closed.
Have a safe and happy 2023.
Thank You,
JANUARY 2023
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Happy Holidays to our Legion family.
The Riders are busy this month. We have the annual toy ride on Dec 3,2022. The escorted ride will leave from the Lake Square Mall parking lot and ending at Gator Harley. This is always a great benefit, and a lot of toys are collected for needy children. We are also having our annual Rider Christmas party on December 10 from 6-9. This is in lieu of our monthly meeting. Then we have Wreaths Across America on Dec. 17 which we will be escorting the wreaths from the Post to the cemetery and assisting with placement of the Ceremonial Wreaths. We will continue our weekly Wednesday rides and Sunday Bingo lunch.
Membership renewal is going great we are about 75% which is good for us as we have to wait until they have renewed with the family.
Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thank You,
DECEMBER 2022
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Happy Thanksgiving to all our Legion Family.
We have been very busy with escorts for Honor Flights both virtual and one to Washington. It is an honored to escort these brave men and women. We also escorted one of our own riders to Bushnell to be laid to rest. Orville Sadler was one of our original members. He will be sadly missed.
The Riders also attended a beautiful service for our Chaplain Bob Johnson who passed after fighting cancer for 6 years. He was truly an asset to our Chapter. He gave so much of himself to assist our cause. Bob stepped up when needed and was available even when he was feeling under the weather. Replacing him will be hard but Bob Hodge a SAL has agreed to step up and we are so grateful to him.
Our Wednesday lunch rides continue and Nov.9th they are going to lunch and a special ride. Can't give details, it's a secret.
The Department of Florida Fall Convention is November18- 20, the ALR General Session is November 20 from 3:30-5:30 at Caribe Royale Orlando, 8101 World Center Dr. Orlando Florida. Rider's welcome, come show your support.
NOVEMBER 2022
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The Riders would again like to thank all the Legion families for their support on the 2022 Legacy Ride. The group raised over 1.3 million dollars this year for Children of Fallen US Military Members. We are so very proud of all the participants.
Cooler October weather changes our Wednesday rides from breakfast to lunch so we hope to see a few more riders since you can sleep later. Please ride safe.
Our yearly trike raffle will begin on October 8 at the Saturday breakfast. This is our major fund raiser for the year hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Fall is here and we will start renewals at our October General Meeting for Riders. Please be sure to bring your 2023 Family card, Insurance Card and Driver's License with Motorcycle Endorsement. The yearly dues are $25.00 or $125.00 for a lifetime membership.
October, 2022
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Legion family, August flew by, and the new floors look great. We would like to thank the Commander and his E-Board for closing the Post for a couple of weeks to make the remodeling smoother for everyone. The Post is now open, and our meeting will be Wednesday September 28th.
Welcome to the new bar manager Carmen and his assistant Ruth. I know you both will do a great job.
The Riders made the trek to Run Oak Creek, WI, 1781 miles from Florida. We are so proud of all the participants and pray they all return home safely.
September 10 we are hosting our 1st Benefit Dance in the Hall. Forever Young, Barbara Petrizzo and Bobby V will entertain us from 6-9 pm, The proceeds from the profits will go to “Tunnel to Towers”. We thank everyone who assisted us with donations, 50/50 tickets and ticket purchases. I hope to see you there.
We continue to have weekly breakfast rides on Wednesday mornings leaving from the Post at 8 am. On weekends we ride for the 6th District. On the 1st and 3rd Sundays, we cook lunch for the Lounge Bingo players. Riders, please come out and support our Chapter.
September, 2022
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August is here and the Riders have a great month ahead. The American Legion Legacy Run will take place Aug. 21-25, 2022. The 1,200-mile ride will leave from the USS Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile, Ala., on Aug. 21 and travel through Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois before winding up at American Legion Post 434 in Oak Creek, Wis. – a 20-minute drive from Milwaukee, the site of the 2022 American Legion National Convention.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Gary Wetzel, a Legion Rider from Post 434, will await the ride on its final stop and be a part of its closing ceremonies. Later that evening, Legacy Run participants will be able to take part in a bike night outside of the nearby Harley-Davidson Museum campus upon the conclusion of activities at post 434.
Chapter 347 has 10 participates this year. We would like to thank our Legion families for their support in this endeavor and a safe ride for all.
Thank You,
August, 2022
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Happy 4th of July everyone!
The Riders 2022-2023 new officer slate is Sherri Ward Director, Mike Haynes Asst Director, Linda Haynes Adjutant, Louise Labbe Finance Officer, Chaplain Bob Johnson, Barry McFarland Sgt @ Arms, Road Captain Larry Pekoe, Historian Wayne Rodgers, and Gene Haplea PIO. We are going to make this year even better than last year.
One of our Charter members Bill Lynn is doing the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. The riders do 10,000 miles in 10-14 days. They sleep in tents by their bikes and have no GPS. They are given a map and off they go. The ride starts in South Dakota (1900 miles before he starts the 10,000). He is riding for the Gary Sinise Foundation. If you would like to donate, please contact me, Sherri Ward 251-689-7033 I will be happy to assist you. Please keep our fellow Legionnaire/Rider in your prayers.
We would like to welcome all the other officers within the Legion Family and please let us know if we can be of assistance. Change happens in number, and we are all family.
Looking forward to another great year 2022-2023.
July 2022
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