TAFT, Calif. (KERO) — Community support transforms American Legion, revamping interior saves Post 63 from closure, preserving tradition.
- American Legion Post 63 serving the west-side for over a century.
- Remodeling took up to 4 years to get it where its at today.
- Post was about to completely shut down 2019, due to the high rate of members passing.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
VFW and American Legion Posts are closing their doors across the nation, including right here in our backyard. This Post in the city of Taft continues to serve the west side. It remains a beacon of support for veterans and the community
“People didn’t want to see this place close and we were on the verge of closing, we were on the verge of closing,” says Gary Summers.
Gary Summers, an army veteran, and commander of post 63, tells me the story of how this American Legion post was about to completely shutdown in 2019, due to the high rate of members passing.
“Actually we were down to just widows of members and it just got down to where we only had a few dollars in our bank accounts and it wasn’t making sense to stay open”, continues Summers
With funds dwindling and reliance on the bar revenue, the fate of the post seemed clear however, summers said everything changed when members of the community rallied together, offering donations, support, and hands-on assistance, completely transforming the interior of the building within the past 4 years, attracting new members.
Summers tells me he wants people to continue the tradition of joining the American Legion, emphasizing the opportunity to experience camaraderie and find support in a welcoming environment where individuals can connect with others who have shared the same experience.
“But it’s a lot of fun, a lot of the you get people come, and that was the idea behind all this, is to try to get young people in trying to get veterans, we’ve done pretty well with our membership,” says Summers.
To show your support to our veterans, the Fellows Post welcomes everyone to come in on their one open night, Fridays.
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