Past Activities:

First of all, we set a new chapter record…all Board members were there at the same time! We had some great dialogue and got pumped up about some of the upcoming events. We discussed our budget and came up with ideas on how to increase our bank account. Thanks to all Board members for being there and setting the tone for the next several months.

Membership: To keep our charter, we need to maintain at least 25 active members on the books, so please keep track of your membership expiration date and renew in advance. We hover between 28 and 32 members, but we should have twice that number! I meet Vietnam vets every day of the week, but it is like pulling teeth to get them to a meeting. What a bunch of stubborn son-of-a-guns…not like me, of course. We can do better. I currently have 122 names on my mailing roster. If even half that number were to join, we would be in excellent shape. So, I encourage all to consider joining the active ranks of our chapter. It would really help to keep us up and running.

Another idea we are going to try is appointing Section Leaders to make personal contact with each name on our master roster. Several of the active members have volunteered to call a certain group on the roster…perhaps those whose last names are A through F or M through T…you get the picture. I remember when we first started this chapter, I called around personally to pass along upcoming events, special activities, etc. I simply cannot sit down and make that number of calls anymore. So, I have a few helpers. I would appreciate you giving them your support as you did to me!

Finances: We have a couple of hundred bucks in the bank and get a little each month from HQ as they pay us our portion of the memberships. The only money we have spent so far is for administration of the chapter, i.e. PO Box fees and copy and mailing of the newsletters and a Chapter 933 vinyl banner to make our recruiting trips a little more professional. We discussed sending out a mass mailing to businesses throughout the area for sponsorship of the chapter. We have yet to iron out the details, but I think the idea has merit. If you know of a company/business that would like to help out, let me know and I will ensure they get a request letter. I am looking for someone willing to take charge of the fundraising effort for the chapter…can you help?

Recruiting: There are plenty of opportunities to spread the word about VVA and Chapter 933. We have the VVA banner and recruiting materials that can be displayed at any number of locations in the area. I have a folding table, chairs and a folding canopy I am willing to loan to anyone with the urge to find a venue, contact the organizers and set up a booth. There are a number of fall festivals, car shows, and other such gatherings where we may be given space to display our membership materials. For example, I got a letter in the mail regarding a retired military seminar at Lemoore NAS on Oct 16th. I plan on attending the seminar, so I called the organizers and asked to set up our booth. They not only said yes, they will have a tent, a table and chairs waiting for us. The guy I talked to said, "I'm looking forward to meeting you because I'm a Vietnam Vet and I may want to join". Now, anyone willing to take the lead and be our Recruiting Chairperson?

Meetings: As you may, may not know we meet the first Tuesday of each month at 6 pm down at the American Legion 509 hall 3509 N. First St (between Shields and Dakota).

Social: In addition, we have a standing reservation for 6:30 pm the 3rd Friday of each month to meet for dinner at Bob's Big Boy restaurant, located on N. Blackstone Blvd and Auto Center Drive. This is for spouses and kids as a way of getting to know each other better. Bob's Big Boy is causal and so are we.

Associates of VVA: Did you know that your spouse can also join VVA? There is a group within VVA called AVVA with its own national and state officers. I can get information to you regarding AVVA, so just let me know. We have 3-4 spouses already signed up and are itching to get involved!

Election 2004: No matter your preferred candidate, no matter your party of choice…vote!! Chapter 933 will do what we can to encourage voter registration.

Other issues:

1995 - 2004 ©
Vietnam Veterans of America
VVA's participation in the recent Operation Standdown was noteworthy. We set up our recruiting booth and had quite a few vets drop by to swap stories. Some of the other event volunteers actually came over and took some membership materials. The homeless veterans were glad we had our table set up and were willing to shoot the bull about old times. Steve Doak was the MC for the event and gave opening remarks. Dawny Reb showed up in the nick of time to sing the National Anthem. Mike Midgett helped by manning the booth and handing out clothes and toiletry kits and Scott Graff came by to help with the booth, too. Steve and his son Brad closed out the event with echoing taps.

The motorcycle run fundraiser for Chapter 933 on August 28th was not as successful as we had planned. We set up our recruiting booth in the registration area and had quite a few veterans come by and take membership materials.. We also had some Chapter 933 members come by for a BS session and even had some VVA members come by and change their affiliation to Chapter 933. Two VVA members rode their bikes down from Gilroy for the ride. State Council President Ken Holybee and CSC Boardmember Bob Johnson rode in to town Friday night and took the Saturday ride to the Mono Winds Casino in Auberry. Bob got separated from the group and went to Auberry via Oakhurst. Needless to say he showed up about 1 1/2 hours late. So, despite not making huge sums of money, the recruiting booth was successful, the trip to Auberry was great and the Dawny Reb Band was awesome! Thanks to Dawny Reb-Shepley (AVVA member) and Carl for the effort! We'll do better next year!!

Upcoming Events: Here are some significant events coming up the first two weeks of November:

          Tuesday, Nov 2, 2004. Monthly membership meeting at American Legion 509, 6pm. Please note…Post 509 is usually a polling booth, so our meeting may be disrupted. If there is not place for us to meet there…we will attempt to meet across First Street at the Vets Center. If that happens, we will put up signs at 509 to let you know. Keep your cell phone handy and call me at 260-2704 if you can't find the meeting.

          Monday, Nov 8, 2004. The United States Marine Band will perform a free concert at the Saroyan Theater at 7:30 pm.. Call Steve at 260-2704 if you want tickets.

          Tuesday, Nov 9, 2004. Club One, 1033 Van Ness Ave gives a free luncheon for veterans at their casino. First sitting is 2:00 pm and the second is 3:30 pm. Call Steve at 260-2704 if you wish to attend.

          Wednesday, Nov 10, 2004. The City of Fresno will dedicate North Veterans Boulevard at the corner of Herndon and Polk at 10:00 am.

          Wednesday, Nov 10, 2004. VVA Chapter 933 will host a ceremony at 4:00 pm at the Woodward Park Vietnam Veteran's memorial to commemorate the dedication of The Vietnam War in Memory Plaque. The real plaque, which is located adjacent to the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC, is dedicated to all those who have lost their lives as a direct result of their service in Vietnam. The ceremony in Washington will be 7:00pm Eastern and ours will be 4:00 pm Pacific to coincide. Call Steve Doak at 260-2704 if you have questions or wish to help with publicity, set up, snacks, coordination, etc.

          Thursday, Nov 11, 2004. Fresno's Veteran's Day Parade starts at 1000 am. The route runs past City Hall and the Veteran's Auditorium, starting and ending at Grizzly Stadium. This is one of the largest Veteran's Day parades in the nation! We need helpers for security and crowd control. Carl Shepley is in charge of Security and Crowd Control again this year and needs all the help he can get. If you can help, meet in front of City Hall at 6:30-7:00 the morning of the parade. Bring a hat, comfy shoes and some water. Call Carl at 855-3565 if you can help. PS: In 2005, Carl will step down and we will have our own entry in the parade. In 2006, Vietnam Veterans will be the Grand Marshals!!

          Nov 12, 13, 14. VVA's California State Council will be in town at the Comfort Suites Hotel, Herndon and Hwy 41, for their quarterly meeting. Don Black or I usually attend the meeting portion of the weekend, but they also host a BBQ dinner each Saturday night that we are all invited to. 6-7pm is social time and snacks and 7pm is dinner. Usually costs about $8.00 each. Like to come by and meet other VVA brothers from all over the state?? Call Steve at 260-2704 for details.

          Friday, Nov 19, 2004. Dinner at Bob's Big Boy, 6:30pm

Christmas Party: We are planning on having a Xmas party again this year. We are hoping to have the event the same place as last year (Comfort Suites Hotel), but have not finalized details. They may/may not waive a $150 event fee, since the management has changed. Plan on Sunday, December 19th in the mid-afternoon. We will ask attendees to bring potluck hors deovres and a gift each to throw into a pile. We will exchange the gifts with a number drawn out of a hat. Put it on your calendars…it will be excellent fun!! Anyone want to volunteer to coordinate the potluck, decorations, etc?? Call Steve at 260-2704 if you can help.

All for now. Remember, we meet the first Tuesday of each month at 6pm, at American Legion Post 509, 3509 N. First St, Fresno. I encourage you to come and participate. We need input on planning some fun events. We have so little time at the membership meetings, we seldom have the chance to socialize and really get to know each other.

Cheers,

Steve Doak
President

IF YOU CAN READ THIS, THANK A TEACHER.
IF YOU CAN READ THIS IN ENGLISH, THANK A VETERAN