KANSAS CITY, Mo. – At only 14-months-old, Ban Chang VFW Post 12146 is reinventing the way it does business and attracting new members one activity at a time.
Chartered on February 19, 2015, in Banchang, Thailand, VFW Post 12146 started with 35 members and chose their location because of its strong U.S. military ties to the Royal Thai Navy Airfield U-Tapao, located only miles away. With active-duty personnel stationed close by, the local community is filled with military retirees and veterans still living and working in the area. The Post now boasts membership numbers that have more than tripled. Its culture of inclusivity, and dedication to serving and assisting all veterans of its community have led to VFW Post 12146’s success.
“Expats are a unique group and those that choose to live in a certain area will naturally have much in common,” said Kenneth A. Stein, commander of VFW Post 12146. “A very high percentage of our members are retired military, this means we all grew up in a similar environment … we all speak the same language and understand how to get things done.”
VFW Post 12146’s additional tips on being successful include electing leadership that is dedicated, self-starting and encouraging to like-minded people who wish to become part of the Post’s leadership and future.
Actively participating in VFW programs like Adopt-A-Unit has also helped the Post build strong relationships with locally deployed units. By officially adopting Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85, members of the Post have been able to provide much-needed support and camaraderie to the active-duty Sailors stationed so far from home.
Building strong relationships with the community is something VFW Post 12146 is well-known for. Whether it’s inviting local children to the beach during their Memorial Day event, hosting a fundraiser for various local organizations, providing needed repairs, or cleaning up and building a playground at the local home and school for disabled children, the Post is determined to give back and support its surrounding community.
As the Post looks toward the future, Post commander Stein explained, “With our core of energetic, dedicated, hard-working members, I see nothing but positive growth of our Post.”
With successful tips like these, any VFW Post – whether mustered last month or hundreds of years ago – can be successful in showing younger veterans, potential new members, and the local community what it is that makes the VFW mission so vital.
Photo caption: Organizing community service projects is one way VFW Post 12146 is able to connect with deployed U.S. Navy squadrons, serving as a way to support the local community and attract new members to the Post.