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• Saturday, September 13, 2014

  Wayne County Adds 34 Members in One Night

  A small diverse group of American Legion family members from the Seventh District joined together on Wednesday evening, September 10, to contact members living in Wayne County who do not belong to a local post and personally invite them to transfer into one.

  Callers were prepared to discuss specific questions about local posts and to complete transfer paperwork while on the line. (These members had joined the Legion through a “direct membership solicitation” from national headquarters and as a result had been assigned to a “holding” post known as Post 1.)

  In just an hour and a half, the “phone bank” was able to speak directly to 43 veterans.

  “In this short time, Wayne County posts grew by 34 transfer memberships — a success rate of 79 percent,” noted Past Wayne County Commander Michael Hannan. “The lessons learned from Past Department Commander W. Michael Bowen, whose mantra is, ‘Just Ask!’, continue to be effective.”

  The revitalization team made the calls from Marion Memorial Post 1430 and was led by dual member Daryl Verstreate Jr., Wayne County American Legion first vice commander and Seventh District Sons of the American Legion (SAL) commander. Also participating were Seventh & Eight District Membership Coordinator Dennis McCarthy; Seventh District 1st Vice Commander/Membership Chairman Fred Percy; Seventh District 3rd Vice Commander Holly Trueman; Past Wayne County Commanders Michael Hannan, Raymond Freyn and Marshall Francis; Past Wayne County American Legion Auxiliary President Debra Hammon; and Auxiliary members Kimberly Hicks, Unit 286, and Jessica Rugenstein, Unit 1430. The latter provided “outstanding hospitality,” Hannan said.

  

  Wayne County team makes calls and fills out transfer paperwork. From left: Holly Trueman, Ray Freyn, Deb Hammon and Dennis McCarthy (top), Fred Percy and Ray Freyn, and Daryl Vanstreate. Photos by MICHAEL HANNAN.