Commander's Time

Hello 43ers,

We have entered into December and are ending 2022, preparing for the opportunities of 2023. As we get closer to the New Year, I’ll use this space to give recognition to those who have contributed to the positive culture and mission of Hollywood Post 43. I’ll also give some more plans for 2023.

We have plenty of business to take care of in the coming year, but we also have a lot of members to take care of in 2023. I have an ambitious set of member initiatives that I would like to make happen, but I’m going to need help. If you have been looking for a time to get involved, you will have a lot of opportunities coming up.

I hope to start Fit 43 in the New Year. That would involve the creation of teams to compete together against other. We will track aspects of wellness that are easy to measure: sleep, steps, water consumption, participation in activities that will be planned, etc. I will need help designing this program including the definition of how points will be awarded. With National ending 100 Miles For Hope, this is an opportunity for Hollywood to lead in the creation of a new initiative that any Legionnaire can participate and succeed in.

I’ve always thought that personal development could be an invaluable benefit of membership. For those of you in entertainment, we are looking at hosting classes and talks, sponsored by VME. In addition, I need help in starting a monthly speakers series that will cover various topics.

Recently, on the Tango Alpha Lima podcast, we spoke with someone in the mental health space who is interested in helping veterans with various levels of trauma and at various stages of life. I brought up training to lead discussion groups at the Post level. We are not looking to do actual group therapy, but I believe that opening up with peers of common experience is in itself “therapeutic”.

We’ve already seen the return of music and comedy to the Post. I look forward to more of that and hopefully the use of our kitchen to provide dining opportunities and maybe even a cooking class or two.

Since we are still in uncertain economic times, my goal has been to attempt to create high-value experiences at low cost. As a community, it’s not only my ideas that need to be considered. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts. The more thought and pre-planning put into your idea, the better. The higher value and lower cost ideas will result in priority consideration.

We are 43. We are Hollywood. In The American Legion, a lot of people think that means that we lead in creativity. Let's step up and help make that reputation stick!

For the good of the Legion…

Jeff Daly, Commander