Mr. Sloan,
My name is Wesley Thompson I am a SFC in the US Army and an active member of both the American Legion and Legion Riders at Post 192 in Evans, Ga. Since, joining the Legion riders, I have become very impressed and active in campaigning for the Legacy Fund. It is a matter that hit very close to home for us at post 192 as a fellow rider recently lost a brother in Afghanistan leaving behind his wife and 4 kids.
Over the years, I have seen many different companies and organizations execute different events to raise money for various veteran causes such as the Wounded Warrior Project. Recently, I attended a shootout in Ga where different companies donated various firearms for raffle with all the proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project. This got me thinking....What I would like to propose is creating and raffling an American Legion Rider "Legacy Bike". What I would like to do, is approach several large companies and organizations which have demonstrated support to veterans over the years for donations. With these donation a motorcycle would be purchased and the bike would be custom painted to project the spirit of the "Legacy Run". Next, tickets would be made available for sale, mainly through a website, where anyone could go an purchase them. All of the money raised from ticket sales would go to the Legacy fund. The bike would be ridden on the Legacy Run, and upon completion, the new owner would be drawn and contacted. I think this could be not only a great opportunity to raise funds, but could be an opportunity to create a website where photos of the bike being built and word could really get out about the Legacy Fund, the Legion Riders, and the Legion as a whole.
I would appreciate any opinion you have on this. Still being a new member I have not been exposed to all the rules and regulations which would deal with a situation like this. It would be a undertaking none the less and I know it is not something I could accomplish myself, but I would love to spearhead the opportunity. I do not believe I would be able to accomplish it this year (my first born is due on August 16th...hopefully I will be able to make the run!) but for 2011...I am on board!
I look forward to your feedback and I appreciate your time.
Respectfully,
Wesley Thompson
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2 comments:
Wesley--this is a great idea, but for many reasons we cannot operate a raffle from the national headquarters. Some states have strict gambling laws and it is difficult or impossible to manage it across the country, even though I think it is a fantastic idea.
But raffles are not hard to arrange--many Legion posts do it often with weapons and even motorcycles. I think that Georgia would be able to come up with a Legacy Run theme bike with a distinctly Georgian flavor--as could Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina, and most other states.
Riders have so many outstanding local programs to raise money for that we hesitate to tell them that they "should" raise money for the American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. But we deeply appreciate that they have adopted the Fund nationally as a special interest.
By the way, once any state Riders program has begun such a fundraising effort, we can surely report about its success, even if we can't sell tickets.
CONGRATULATIONS to you and your bride on your new family--and we hope to see you this year on the Legacy Run!
AWACS
Wesley -- You might leave a comment or suggestion about fundraising ideas at www.legion.org/forum. New site run by the Legion's web site team.
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