Wiscasset's American Legion plans heating assistance campaign
Wiscasset resident Paul Foley, left, and Wiscasset American Legion Post 54 members hope to raise funds for heating assistance for families struggling to get by this winter. JOHN MAGUIRE/Wiscasset Newspaper
Wiscasset resident Paul Foley, left, and Wiscasset American Legion Post 54 members hope to raise funds for heating assistance for families struggling to get by this winter. JOHN MAGUIRE/Wiscasset Newspaper
It is just a discussion at this point, but members of the American Legion in Wiscasset want to raise funds again, this time to help storm victims closer to home.
As the country was tuned into Pres. Barack Obama's second inauguration and to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a small group of veterans gathered at Wiscasset American Legion Post 54 to discuss ways they could help fellow Mainers who are at risk of freezing to death this winter.
During their January 21 meeting, about 10 of the more than 90 members in the Bradford-Sortwell-Wright American Legion Post 54 re-lived the success of their campaign to help victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York. They remarked on the quick response they received from small businesses, residents and volunteers, and about the impressive amount of money and donated items raised for New York residents.
The members of this American Legion post, as in many others, are part of an aging demographic seeking not only new membership, but ways to support their community. Clark Jones worked with nuclear warheads in Fort Sill, Oklahoma during the Vietnam War. Bill Curtis was in a liaison squadron in the Army. Neil Page, now a school bus driver, served in the Navy for 21 years. He said he spent time in the Persian Gulf. Like many war veterans, they hesitate to share their experiences, but continue to meet out of a perpetual sense of duty.
Paul Foley is not a member of the American Legion, but is a Wiscasset resident who led the charge with post members in “Operation Muck Out” in December. “I've never seen so many people volunteer,” Foley said. “Everyone who was asked did something; it was impressive. It taught us a lot. If we put our nose to the grindstone, we can get something accomplished.”
The next thing they want to get done is to draft a letter to thank all those who donated money, items, their time and efforts. They also want to start a new campaign on their own, to raise money for those who need fuel assistance.
“It felt good to come back over that bridge,” Foley said of their return to Maine from New York. He added, “There is a lot of good we could do right here. Why wait for a disaster?”
John Maguire can be reached at 207-844-4634 or jmaguire@wiscassetnewspaper.com.
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