March / April 2009

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March / April 2009

REGION 9 REPORT:

Planning for Louisville

BY DICK SOUTHERN, DIRECTOR

As we come into spring after a long, wet winter, our fiscal year has ended and chapter elections are starting. All of this activity is leading up to the Convention in Louisville in July. Make sure to get all of your election and financial reports in on time.

Now is the time that we should all be thinking about—and starting to plan—the fundraisers that will help defray the cost of sending delegates to the Convention. A spaghetti dinner or two in the next few months would help, or maybe a golf tournament?

I want to invite everyone to the Region 8 and 9 pre-Convention conference at the Silver Legacy Resort and Casino in Reno June 12-14. This is the chance for experienced and new Convention delegates to learn about the amendments and resolutions that will be coming up at the Convention and to meet some of the candidates. Mark your calendar.

In visiting the state councils in the region, I have heard more and more about veterans who served in Vietnam and have health issues due to exposure to Agent Orange, have never used the VA health care system, and know nothing about presumptive service-connected Agent Orange disability compensation. We all need to do much more in our outreach efforts to help veterans and their families. We have hard-working Veterans Service Officers who are ready to help veterans with their claims. Let’s use them.