12 Days of Christmas: AMVETS Post 66

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - On our sixth day of the 12 Days of Christmas segment highlighting Northeast Louisiana non-profits, we’re shining a light on the AMVETS Post 66 in Monroe.

“If you are an honorable discharged veteran and you need some help and we can make it happen we’ll do our best,” Deanie Daily, the Ladies Auxiliary Chaplain and AMVETS Riders Secretary with the AMVETS Post 66.

The group is no stranger to sacrifice, they do what they can to make sure veterans and their families have what they need.

“They kind of get put on the back burner. You don’t realize how many veterans are out there that don’t get any help and don’t seek out the help,” says Daily.

“You don’t have to be a veteran yourself like I am not a veteran but both my parents were,” explains Daily. “We do the National Guard the Coast Guard and the Reserves we take all of those.”

“AMVETS (American Veterans) is the nation’s most inclusive Congressionally-chartered veterans service organization, representing the interests of 20 million veterans,” according to the AMVETS website.

Post 66 is a place for people to gather, look to the past and to the future.

“This is their comradery here their fellowship with other veterans, they can talk about the war or not the war whatever they need to talk about there’s someone here to talk to,” says Daily.

Daily says they try to have meals ready for people once a week, and she says it’s open to anyone who wants to come.

The post has different chapters that all put community service first.

“The Riders we took on a family, a single veteran woman with a child and we got her housing because she was homeless,” says Daily. “We also roofed a man’s house, he was a World War II veteran. [...] We had a veteran at Christmas two years ago that’s been going back and forth to Houston for his chemo and he’s still in the reserves and we helped him at Christmas time and gave him money for his family because he was to Houston once a week.”

She says the Sons of AMVETS group was just out at the Northeast Louisiana Veterans Home cooking them lunch. She says one of their chapters tries to go out there at least once a month.

“Right now we’re collecting glasses for the Lion’s club,” says Daily. “I’ve already given them like 87 pairs of glasses and I left the box here and we’re collecting even more.”

They also just collected Christmas presents for various toy drives.

During the year she says the organization holds a Poker Chip Run, which is a huge fundraiser for them. It’s these events that continue to allow them to make life-changing donations toward our veterans and their families.

Dec. 18, they’re having a Christmas lunch starting around noon. They’re located at 2915 Armand Street in Monroe. Reach out to them on Facebook if you’d like to help or if you need help.

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