🇺🇸 Happy Flag Day 🇺🇸 | Sons of the American Revolution to open July Meeting | America 250 |
Weekly Report 🎖️
Good day Outpost 1,
I am pleased to report exciting news! We will have a very special July meeting next month. The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Tallahassee Chapter will be presenting the colors to open our July Meeting in honor of America’s 250th birthday.
I have also contacted both Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapters to see if they could participate as well. It is my hope that both organizations will be able to have tables at the monthly meeting so guests at the meeting can learn more about valuable work SAR and DAR do to preserve American history and further Americanism in our nation.
🏥 Sick call 🏥
Commanders Coalition Founder John Folsom is recovering from back surgery. Please keep him in your prayers as his recovery will take several months.
If your organization is hosting a 4th of July celebration or event involving Veterans, we’d be happy to help spread the word.
Please send us the details (date, time, location, and a brief description), and we will include it in our next Weekly Report.
🎆 Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration at American Legion Post 13
Honoring 250 Years of American Independence
Join us for a nostalgic, family-friendly “old timey” Fourth of July celebration as we kick off the countdown to America’s 250th anniversary!
American Legion Sauls-Bridges Post 13
229 Lake Ella Drive, Tallahassee, FL
Saturday, July 4, 2026 • 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
We’re bringing back the simple joys of a classic Fourth of July — no early-morning races or late-night fireworks competition. Just good food, old-fashioned fun, and community fellowship on the shores of Lake Ella.
What’s Happening:
Fishing Tournament for boys and girls (ages 2–12) starting at 11:00 a.m. on the bank of Lake Ella. Age-group divisions, prizes for most fish and largest fish caught. Bring your own pole and tackle. Parents must accompany children 10 and under. Safety is our top priority.
All-beef hot dogs with all the trimmings, potato chips, desserts, lemonade, fruit punch, ice-cold water, boiled peanuts, fresh popcorn, and iced watermelon.
Homemade Ice Cream — bring your favorite recipe (or use yogurt) for our ice cream “tournament.”
Cornhole Tournament for older youth and adults (boards and bags needed).
Cake Walk, pitching booth, basketball shooting, and board games indoors.
Live Appalachian bluegrass music and a possible Post Talent Show.
Special activities for the kids (magician and more — we’re still lining up entertainers).
We especially invite members of the Sons of the American Revolution, American Legion Auxiliary, and American Legion to come together and help welcome the public to our Post home. Uniforms are encouraged for those who can wear them.
How You Can Help Make This a Success
We need volunteers to run activities, take shifts, bring supplies, and share their talents. Specifically, we’re looking for:
Cornhole boards and bags
Cakes for the Cake Walk (homemade or store-bought)
Homemade ice cream makers and recipes
A dunking booth (or help securing one)
A magician or other children’s entertainers
Performers for the Talent Show (singers, musicians, etc.)
Call or text Commander Dennis Hall 1/850-445/9612 today to let us know how you can help or what you can bring. Your participation will make this a wonderful day for our Post and the community.
Come enjoy good food, great company, and a true old-fashioned Fourth of July on beautiful Lake Ella. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Branch 34 is still raising funds for the US Navy Memorial to be dedicated at the Tallahassee National Cemetery
Greetings, Team
KUDOS to everyone who sent an advocacy email to the Governor’s office in these past few weeks: General Patt Maney’s House Bill 199 was signed into law yesterday and will now strengthen Veterans’ Treatment Courts all over the state by increasing the number of Veterans entering the Criminal Court program to rebuild their lives and court record, recover from addiction or other behavioral/ trauma personal problems and succeed in moving forward for their families and their future. On the same day, the Gov also signed a package of several Veteran and Military-related bills, including: HB 253 (Sen. Sharief, Representatives Edmonds and Gantt) which expands funding eligibility for Dental Services through the Florida Veterans Foundation and Fla Dept of Veteran Affairs; and SB 1602, (Sen. Wright, Representatives Rosenwald and Daley) which provides transition funding for Veterans Housing; and SB 820 (Sen. Bradley) which provides for more specific record-keeping (and consequent boasting of successes) for the hundreds of specialty, Problem Solving Courts (Veterans Treatment Courts, Drug Courts, Mental Health Courts, etc) in judicial circuits around the state. The related line items in the Florida budget for Problem-Solving Courts were refunded at the same levels as in previous years, with legislators now waiting for more documentation on both sides: some hoping to increase and others planning to decrease the funding of the various life-saving court programs.
TVLC’s walk-in legal clinic this week, Thursday, June 11, included our Team of 14 Volunteers (including 5 attys). We worked with 18 Veterans and family members in person at the American Legion Post 13 hall at Lake Ella. At clinic’s end, we “coined” Berline Belizaire for her many weeks bringing VA’s Suicide Prevention Program and the Veterans’ Wellness Coalition (N FL-S Ga) for networking and counseling with Veterans serving and attending the multi-purpose legal clinics on Thursday afternoons. SEE PHOTO.
Wednesday’s volunteer food delivery team, Veterans Sam Adams, Charles Robinson, Khalid Shafi and Jonathan DeLille drove the truck and trailer load to various sites around the county. SEE PHOTO. Thanks again Margaret for the use of your truck!
Monday June 22 is your next chance to observe a session of the LEON COUNTY VETERANS’ TREATMENT COURT, (3 pm Leon County Courthouse, Courtroom 2E). Maybe you will consider becoming an invaluable Veteran Mentor for one of the other Vets working their way through the program and recovery. Several “new” Veterans, recently transferring into the VTC program on criminal charges, are awaiting a Mentor, both men and women.
REDUX: ALARM FOR AREA VETERANS AND SUPPORT AGENCIES: Vet Village, owned by Volunteers of America, Inc, is planning to close at the end of September, for lack of funding! Everyone start brainstorming to see which agencies, govt entities, etc. can maybe lease and continue operating the facility for 54 Veteran beds for “transitioning off the Streets!” Time to be creative and deliberate!
Florida’s Boys State and Girls State, sponsored by the American Legion was approved for $200,000 for next summer! The legislature finally passed the budget for the next year (beginning July 1) and included a near record number of local and statewide Veterans’ Projects (including 48 in the FDVA budget alone); See the 550-pger HB 5001E General Appropriations Act at www.flhouse.gov/Budget/2026E ; pending Governor’s review now.
One special need: The number of issues with the VA is outstripping our local resources to keep up with the complications, new claims, and VA delays; so, any other attorneys wanting to join our “VA Law team,” we need you, and have training and national legal resources available to bring you into the fray. Were you a JAG? Have you helped with Social Security or other federal agencies that you already have a headstart on picking up VA law?
What else?
Thank you,
Dan Hendrickson, for the Tallahassee Veterans Legal Collaborative www.Tallahasseeveteranslegal.com
PO Box 11091, Tallahassee, Fl 32302, 850/ 570-1967
I wanted to take a moment to thank the Tallahassee Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart for endorsing the Presidential Medal of Freedom nomination for Major Haynes. Outpost 1 is here to help you all in any way we can. This also goes for all of the other Veteran organizations in Florida’s Big Bend.
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