Our REAC members recently enjoyed a lunch outing to MAIZ Mexican Cantina in Ypsilanti. Retirement has its perks! Check out the pictures from their afternoon.
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We closed out 2018 in style at our New Year's Eve party. The decorations were elegant, the food was delicious, and the music had everyone rockin' as we counted down to 2019! Second Wind provided entertainment for us again this year. We’ve booked them many years in a row because they're a crowd favorite and never fail to play songs that please all musical tastes. This year was no different. They also had the crowd on their feet dancing, a prerequisite for New Year's Eve, right?! None of it would have been possible without Tela Fountain, the chairperson for this event. She took care of the details and assembled a great team of volunteers to help her. Thank you, Tela. Your hard work really delivered a great evening of fun for everyone. The volunteers made it a big success, too. We’d like to thank John & Toni Watkins, Walt & Joyce Rochowiak, Linda Bremher, Gayle Bellamy, Keith & Ginger Bruder, Nancy Fruit, Tim & Roz Ogger, Mike & Dianne Cullen, Donna Hall, Paula Poston, Jim Wagner, and Tom Fountain. Finally, a big thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and attended our event. It was a memorable evening because we were blessed to share it with all of you. Happy New Year! Enjoy the photo slideshow! Our R.E.A.C. (Retired Eagles Activity Club) kicked off the holiday season at their recent Christmas party. There was a delicious buffet that included a beautifully decorated cake, but there was also an abundance of Christmas spirit in the air. Our R.E.A.C. members always have fun together no matter where they are or what they're doing. Merry Christmas to all of them! Our J.O.E.s (Junior Order of Eagles) recently participated in the Belleville Winter Fest 2018 Parade of Lights. They decorated a trailer with lights, made signs, and passed out candy along the route. They didn't let the rain dampen their spirits! Kudos to the J.O.E.s for their hard work in supporting this community event. We're proud of you! Thank you for representing us. Our recent Semper Fi fundraiser to help post-9/11 combat wounded, critically ill, and catastrophically injured veterans from all armed forces was very successful. We are humbled by the help we received from people, businesses, and organizations in our community and across the state and country. Thanking everyone in this limited amount of space is impossible, but we'd like to mention some key people. Eric Calley, a veteran and recipient of the Semper Fi Fund's help, was our guest speaker. He brought his service dog Sun with him, and shared with us how he was able to get him with assistance from the Semper Fi organization. Meeting Eric and hearing his story brought to life the importance of the work the organization provides to our veterans. We are thankful we were able to meet Eric and Sun. Throughout the evening, people bought raffle tickets and bid on silent auction items that were donated to us. Almost 50% of the money we raised came from these donations, so we are thankful to every person, business or organization that contributed. Following dinner, the Classics Band played songs ranging from country to rock and had people up on their feet dancing. We are thankful they were able to share their time and talents with us. Finally, we'd like to thank the Eagle members who helped with the fundraiser. Our Worthy President John Watkins chose Semper Fi as his charity because he is a veteran and wanted to help fellow vets. John, and his wife Toni, along with help from Diane Moore, Barb Tomlinson, Virginia Truran, Ginger and Keith Bruder, Tela Fountain, Gary and Kathy Smith, Rosemary Inman, Nancy Fruit, Jim and Laura McGuire, Keith Murray, Mike Cullen, Pat Pickup, and Sue Delongchamp all contributed behind the scenes to make the fundraiser possible. We're thankful for them and anyone else we might have forgotten to name for their help. We are a “People Helping People” organization and the money we raised will enable the Semper Fi Fund to in turn help our veterans. Take a bow, everyone. Ooh-Rah! We are seeking additional photos from this event. If you have photos you'd be willing to share with us from the evening, please email them to us at foea3996@yahoo.com. Thanks! Our recent Hee Haw Party was a knee slapping, foot stomping good time! Dinner was Hobo Stew. What's that, you say? Everyone contributed whatever they wanted - beef, chicken, pork, potatoes, cabbage, etc. We threw it all in a big pot and it turned into a delicious stew. People also dressed up as their favorite Hee Haw character for the chance to win some money. Marie Keehl came as LuLu and she took home the 1st prize. Keith Bruder came in 2nd and WP John Watkins came in 3rd. It wouldn't have been a Hee Haw Party without music, and DJ Barney made sure the country music kept on playing for all of our karaoke singers. Thank you, Barney! We also want to thank Sue Delongchamp and Nancy Fruit for planning such a fun evening. Van Buren is fortunate to have them. Take a bow ladies. We only have a few photos to share from the fun evening. If you have photos from the evening feel free to email them to us at foea3996@yahoo.com and we'll add them in to the slideshow below! Adults love Halloween just as much as children, especially our Van Buren #3996 adults! They turned out for our recent party in some very clever costumes. Mike Goddard won 1st prize for his flamingo costume (the men thought he should win just for having the courage to wear it!); Mark and Joelene Brzezinski won 2nd prize for their realistic caveman/cavewoman costumes; and Ryan Wojtyna won 3rd prize for his very convincing devil costume! Congratulations to all the winners. We also had a creepy dessert contest for the first time this year. The rule was that all entries had to be edible, but some of them were so disgusting to look at that eating them was out of the question! Gary Smith won for creepiest dessert with his pan of blood soaked intestines. (Gag!) Congratulations, Gary. We also enjoyed listening to the Southern Heat band play our favorite tunes. They always do a great job keeping our dancers happy. All in all, it was a fun Halloween party, thanks to the efforts of Tela Fountain and her entertainment committee. Our club is blessed to have members like them willing to step up and help plan events for the rest of us to enjoy. Finally, we'd like to thank Diane Moore and Lenny Wojtyna for sharing their pictures from the evening. We hope you enjoy them. Our club was busting at the seams with fun recently. In the social hall, the adults gathered to cheer on their team when UM squared off against MSU, and in the back hall the kids enjoyed themselves at the Halloween party! No one went home unhappy. Well, maybe some MSU fans did. Their team lost. We'd like to thank everyone who helped. The Auxiliary hosted the Halloween party for our children. There were games, crafts, pumpkins, food, and lots of candy. A big thank you to Sue Banners, Ronnie and Billie Jean Sturgill, Donna Hall, Linda Darr, Walt and Joyce Rochowiak, everyone who donated candy, and especially our Junior Order of Eagles! They were awesome in helping out wherever they were needed. The UM vs MSU party was hosted by the Aerie, but we need to thank Keith and Ginger Bruder for planning it. They organized the potluck, and Ginger spent a day cooking in the kitchen to make sure there was enough food for everyone. No one went home hungry, thanks to Ginger, and also everyone who brought a dish to pass. The Van Buren Eagles sure know how to have fun, as these pictures from the day can attest. Enjoy them. Our Retired Eagles Activity Club recently took advantage of a beautiful autumn afternoon to enjoy lunch out and a visit to the orchard. They started at the Zukey Lake Tavern in Pinckney where they had lunch, and then they headed over to Plymouth Orchards. Check out the apple pie! It's looks delicious. If you're a retired Eagle member and looking for some fun, R.E.A.C. welcomes you. They're a friendly group of people and they enjoy monthly outings to various locations. They meet the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm to plan their activities. Come join them for friendship and fun! Our REAC group headed south for their September outing, starting out with lunch at the Little Brown Jug in Maybee, MI. Then they headed to Calder's Dairy for ice cream. Yum! The perfect way to end a fun afternoon. Enjoy the pictures! |
Van Buren Eagles #3996
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