Years ago, I met a young man in a local store and after some brief small talk, I asked him if he was a veteran and if had ever been to The American Legion. He told me he was a veteran and he and his family visited TAL in Yuma about once each week. My response, “Wow, almost 60 miles one-way, that’s great, but did you know we had a post right here in El Centro?" His response: “I did not know that, and me and my family have been driving there for over a year now!” We swapped numbers and I met him and some of his family at the post. Today, he and some of his family members are part of TAL Family. His aunt is a wonderful lady (sister) and our unit Auxiliary president…a great addition to our post family!
My reason for sharing this story is that there are many people in our communities that do not know we exist, OR those who do know we exist but do not have a clear understanding of who we really are and/or what we really do. To help in this effort, the national American Legion has created a new PPT presentation titled “This is The American Legion!” The PPT consists of 20 professional slides. It’s a great tool for us to present to the public.
A couple of months ago I tested the PPT by presenting it to a small group. The audience consisted of a couple of Auxiliary members with their two guests, and my guests (a veteran & the El Centro mayor). The outcome of the presentation: two new Auxiliary members and two Auxiliary members that said they learned a lot and a new member with a mayor that in his words: “I’ve lived here my entire life and never knew The American Legion did all these great things nationally or locally. This was great and I’m truly amazed!”
The mayor was so amazed, he suggested I present this to other organizations in our community and assisted me in being a scheduled speaker at the City Council meeting on 17 October. With some minor revisions (27 slides total), I presented the PPT quickly (approx. 10 minutes). This was followed by 5 minutes of very positive discussions and comments from the City Council and, surprisingly, applause from them and the community members in the audience. NOTE: I highly recommend the presenter be a graduate of Basic Training and passionate about TAL.
As with any soil, it must periodically be revitalized also. So, let’s go into our shed, grab our tools and start using them to plant seeds internally and externally…the seeds for a better tomorrow! Nonetheless, let’s also not forget, a seed in the ground is just that if left alone. We must also remember to periodically water, they won’t grow overnight, fertilize and sometimes they may even need a bit of good/positive insecticide to grow to a healthy and successful crop that can feed many instead of only a few. So now more than ever, let’s grab a hoe and go. - https://www.legion.org/membership/resources/powerpoint-presentation

Still Serving America,
V/R,
Tracy
Tracy "T-Dog" Rascoe
American Legion Department of California
30th District Commander