The Ottawa VFW Post 2470 at 1501 La Salle St. is looking to reopen under its new leadership after shrinking membership and circumstances beyond new leadership’s control caused it to close last month.
Under Commander Mike Gladd and Quartermaster Eric Shepperson said the VFW plans on being reopened by Oct. 15 with a fresh coat of paint and a plan in place to drive new membership.
The first part of that plan will be to turn the back room into a banquet hall better geared toward weddings, with its own self-contained bar.
The second part of the plan requires solving a problem Gladd said has been difficult for the VFW as a national entity, which has been losing about 5,000 members per year.
“In the last five years, the VFW has lost over 30% of its members,” Gladd said. “World War II and Korean vets are deceased and Vietnam vets are aging, so we’re setting up a comprehensive plan to enhance our membership.”
Gladd said this plan involves appealing to younger veterans, who as a demographic are more interested in family activities and prioritize their health.
The VFW is open to the public but members must be combat veterans, and Gladd said the organization has a lot to offer new members.
“We can nurture and educate, inform veterans of their rights and what benefits are available to them,” Gladd said.
Gladd said the VFW has a PTSD support group that has been run by Roger Reynolds for the last 15 years, and there’s a lot of information about things such as healthcare that’s available.
“A lot of veterans are going to say ‘geez, I don’t know where to go,’ but come to us and we have the answer,” Gladd said. “If we don’t have the answer, we’re going to get the answer.”
Shepperson said there are plans in place right now to correct the problems of the past and their intention is to move at a fast pace, with the plans for a Field Day to get as much work done as possible to get ready by the projected date.
Hank Walsh, who is an honorary member of the VFW and has been involved in helping Gladd and Shepperson come up with the plan to get the building reopened, said the community has already had so much outreach with donations to open.
The reopened VFW hall will be open to the public, with a renovated place to host its bar and video gaming.
The VFW was founded in 1899 by veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection to secure rights and benefits after many arrived home wounded or sick. Membership, according to the VFW website, is at 1.5 million members nationally.
Donations to can be made by mailing to Halterman-Koeppe-McCarrens Post No. 2570, 1501 La Salle St., Ottawa, IL 61350.