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Second Vice Commander's Column |
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The three-day session of nearly 114,000 members of the Ohio American Legion will be conducted at the SeaGate Centre. This weekend event will begin on Friday with an Opening Session of The American Legion/American Legion Auxiliary at 7:00 p.m. to officially open the convention and be called to order by Department Commander Lou Dimmerman. Highlights of the Convention will include addresses by officers and other dignitaries, the election and installation of the new 2010-2011 officers, and consideration of constitutional amendments and resolutions that involve Legion business and policies of state and national interest. In addition, various Department awards for the year will be given out to those deserving Posts/individuals who have excelled throughout the year. Delegates of the Legion and Auxiliary will begin arriving in Toledo on Thursday, June 24th for pre-convention meetings, and will occupy approximately 600 hotel rooms in area hotels. Approximately 1,600 Legion members, their spouses, and friends are expected to attend the three-day meeting. Hospitality packets outlining what Toledo has to offer to out-of-town visitors will be distributed at registration. Registration will take place in the SeaGate Convention Centre Foyer beginning on Friday at 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and there will be a registration fee of $5.00. The Department of Ohio American Legion
Convention Headquarters will open beginning
Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. in the Presque Isle
room, 3rd floor, at the Park Inn. Legion Annuity: A gift that outlasts a lifetime In decades to come, young men and women will dream of opportunities. They will want to go to college. They will want to lead their communities, and our country. They will want to serve proudly in the U.S. Armed Forces and, once they are veterans, receive the honor and respect of a grateful nation. To fulfill such dreams, they will look to The American Legion. A tax-deductible investment in The American Legion's Charitable Annuity Program can assure future generations get what they deserve. No other organization reaches so many Americans in so many ways. Boys Nation, Junior ROTC, the national oratorical contest, the American Legion Legacy Scholarship program and the Family Support Network are just a few well-known examples. Financial support for military families, career fairs, transition assistance for wounded warriors and representation before VA claims appeals boards and on Capitol Hill can be added to that list. The American Legion's Charitable Annuity Program, which pays guaranteed lifetime benefits and competitive rates of return, allows Legionnaires and friends of the organization to leave their legacy to future generations. This opportunity is being offered in only five American Legion departments, including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. "Investors can choose specific programs they want to support, like Boys Nation, Child Welfare Foundation or The American Legion Endowment Fund," explains Maj. Gen. (ret.) George A. Buskirk, National Treasurer of The American Legion. "Or they can simply dedicate their gift to The American Legion and know that some part of their estate will live permanently through this organization's time-honored values and services. There is no better way for a Legion member or supporter to 'inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation' than this kind of investment." The program comes with a number of options that can be tailored to a donor's wishes. For instance, a Legion family that benefited from National Emergency Fund assistance may want to invest primarily into that program. A former baseball player who got his start on an American Legion diamond may want to dedicate a portion of his estate to American Legion Baseball, so that others may have the same opportunity. A veteran who received help filing for disability compensation from an American Legion service officer may simply want to apply a monetary or property gift to the organization as a whole, which provides accredited claims representation free of charge to veterans. Contributor benefits include:
"So many veterans and supporters have dedicated their lives to the values this organization holds dear," Buskirk says. "The Charitable Annuities Program is a way that their hard-earned estates, or a portion of them, can continue that dedication to help generations of veterans. There will always be a need for the programs offered by The American Legion. Charitable annuities can help us be sure those programs are there and are well-funded." To learn more about The American Legion Charitable Annuities Program, call American Legion Past National Finance Director Paul Allen at (877) 534-4668 or e-mail him at legionannuity@sbcglobal.net.
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