MN DAV Chapter 39 & Auxiliary Unit 39 will conduct their monthly meetings on Thurs., Sep. 8th, 2022 at 6:30 PM at the VFW, 1919 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433.  Chapter agenda includes sharing the urgent need for volunteers for upcoming fundraising events to include the Forget-Me-Not Drive from Sep 9 to 11 and the Clothing Drive on Sep. 24 & 25.  The Auxiliary Unit is checking dates for two upcoming events to include Spa Day in October and a Bake Sale in December.  With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in mind, if you have health concerns or are not feeling well, please do not attend the meeting.  There is nothing more important than your health, and the health of our fellow members.

Today is the last day to register for the 2022 DAV 5K and receive a free DAV fanny pack! Walk, roll, run or ride – there’s no wrong way to participate in the fun and say thanks to those who served. Register and set your donation goal today at www.dav5k.org

Even if you can’t join us in Cincinnati, you can participate virtually from wherever you live, like MN DAV Chapter 39 webmaster, who’ll be running on Veterans Day in Blaine, MN Ken Plant – Fundraising For Disabled American Veterans (dav.org)

DAV service officers are here to help #veterans file VA claims and assist #military members transitioning from active duty, free of charge. No veteran should have to go it alone! Call 1-888-604-0234 or visit www.benefitsquestions.org to email us.

This year 137 golfers participated in the 6th Annual Leo Luckey Golf Tournament. Thanks to our sponsors, Refuge Golf Club, participants, donors providing raffle and drawing prizes, our Chapter and Auxiliary volunteers, and our guest speaker at our awards dinner, Trent Dilks, for another successful fundraiser. Check out the photographs of the tournament, courtesy of Ken Plant, the Chapter’s social media content provider, at https://anoka39davmn.com/leo-luskey-annual-dav-golf-tournament .

MN DAV Chapter 39 is conducting a Clothing Drive this Sat. and Sun., Aug. 13 & 14.  Look for the DAV trailer in the parking lot of Cub Foods, Riverdale Mall, 12940 Riverdale Drive, Coon Rapids, MN 55448. Please bag up your clothing, shoes, and small household items and drive up to the trailer, Sat., Aug. 13, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm or Sun., Aug. 14, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.  Proceeds from the drive supports Anoka and surrounding county area Veterans.

MN DAV Chapter 39 & Auxiliary Unit 39 will meet on Thurs., Aug. 11, 2022 – 6:30 PM at the VFW, 1919 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433.  Chapter agenda includes a discussion of our Membership Drive (lifetime membership for Chapter 39 now $50), and the need for Volunteers at our upcoming Clothing Drive at Riverdale Mall Cub Foods, Aug 13 & 14.  Attendance at the DAV Fall Conference, Sep. 16 & 17 in St. Cloud will be discussed and the need for Volunteers for the Forget-Me-Not Campaign, Sep. 9-11.  If we do not get enough Volunteers for the campaign, our participation will be canceled.  Learn about another successful fundraising event at the 6th Annual Leo Luskey Golf Tournament.  We are in need of Ideas for upcoming the Adopt-A-Veteran Holiday Gift Program.  With COVID-19 cases still on the rise in Minnesota, if you do not feel well, please stay home.  For an update on COVID-19 cases by county visit https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view?list_select_state=Minnesota&data-type=CommunityLevels&list_select_county=27003

A reminder that there is no July membership meetings. There are two events where you can have fun and volunteer your time to help two very special events. 

On Sat., July 9, members are needed to assist in the “Operation Zero” food tent to help clean the tables at various times throughout the day at Veterans Lake.  More about the event at their Facebook event site at https://www.facebook.com/events/1721245278070483

On Thurs, July 14, members are needed to assist at the Leo Luskey Annual Golf Tournament throughout the day at the Refuge Golf Course.  Contact MN DAV Chapter Commander, Bill Gordon either by phone or email if you can support either, or both, of these events at (320) 491-5665  [email protected]  More about the event at https://anoka39davmn.com/uncategorized/leo-luskey-6th-annual-golf-tournament/

Volunteers should arrive in your DAV-branded attire!

From Minnesota DAV Chapter 39 and Auxiliary Unit 39 we wish all our members, supporters, and Facebook fans a happy and safe Independence Day. An option for celebrating this year is viewing A Capitol Fourth this evening, Mon., July 4, 2022 at 7:00 pm CST. You can watch on your PBS station or on their website https://to.pbs.org/3QTpG04

Operation Dry Water is a yearlong campaign, however, July 2-4 is Heightened Awareness and Enforcement Weekend! Operation Dry Water (ODW) is a campaign developed by The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) which looks to remove impaired operators from our nation’s waterways and helps spread awareness about the dangers of boating under the influence. NASBLA, working with state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies across the nation, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.

Reminders to boaters: – Alcohol is the leading contributing factor in boater deaths. Never drink and boat! – The federal BAC limit for BUI is .08… the same as driving a car. Drunk boating is just as dangerous as drunk driving. How to get involved: – Flyers, brochures, social media information and more can be found on the Operation Dry Water website at https://www.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/home #neverBUI  #BoatSober

Did you know the U.S. military helped create the Juneteenth holiday?  One of the federal government’s first attacks on slavery during the war was an “Act to Secure Freedom to All Persons Within the Territories of the United States,” passed on June 19, 1862.  Exactly three years later, Gen. Gordon Granger would sail into Galveston, Texas, to read the Emancipation Proclamation to the people of Texas.  The day would become known as “Juneteenth” and would be celebrated as a holiday — a second independence day — for former slaves.  On June 19, 1865, Granger read the words written by Abraham Lincoln in 1862. Texas was the last state in the defeated Confederacy to hear them. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.  Learn more at https://www.military.com/off-duty/how-us-military-helped-create-juneteenth-holiday.html Artwork: https://mutopejjohnson.blogspot.com/