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Our Story.

The FRIENDS OF POST 311 (FOP 311) is a newly formed 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization in Illinois and we are dedicated to working with the Benjamin O. Davis Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 311 organization (VFW Post 311) to support the Veteran Community and their families by assisting them in identifying, developing and supporting a permanent home in the Village of Richton Park.

 

It is our mission to support VFW Post 311 with finding and securing a permanent home in Richton Park, IL. Also, to provide much-needed resources to help serve our veteran population and engage the public to help enhance their lives. 

 

This mission is materialized in three main activities:

  • Deliver fund raising activities to support the acquisition of land needed to build and operate a permanent home in the Village of Richton Park for VFW Post 311);

  • Research land and building options in the community of Richton Park;

  • Providing educational training to veterans and community members.

 

Up until 2016, VFW Post 311 leveraged support from two organizations, the Ladies Auxiliary and the Men’s Auxiliary, to assist them in programming and veteran services. At the end of 2016, the U.S. Veterans of Foreign Wars disbanded all Men’s Auxiliary units and established a new organization by integrating men into the previously existing Ladies Auxiliary, renaming the organization as the “VFW Auxiliary”. This has reduced the support to VFW Post 311 and created challenges in supporting the community.

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While the organization has existed but a short while, there have been regular meetings conducted in a manner complying with IRS regulations on non-profit organizations. This organization has established an annual fundraiser to assist in raising the capital the land acquisition would require.

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It is our goal to keep the Benjamin O. Davis Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 311 in Richton Park, IL. This VFW Post is an asset to our community providing services to veterans. We love having our veterans in town. We would like to do all we can to support them and to show our thanks and appreciation for their service. 

 

Our Founders.

The founding members of the FOP 311 are all lifetime members of either VFW Post 311 or the VFW Post 311 Auxiliary.

As the four founding members have continued to support the effort of VFW Post 311, we have recognized the gap created by the elimination of the VFW Post 311 Men’s Auxiliary as an additional resource group. During its existence, the VFW Post 311Men’s Auxiliary delivered resources to complement the aging population of VFW Post 311 members along with a number of independent efforts geared towards raising funds. Over the past few years, VFW Post 311 has been challenged with obtaining adequate financial support for their programming and we collectively agreed to work towards establishing an organization to assist.

 

VFW Post 311 is extremely important to the Richton Park community as it provides veteran services, outreach and training within the community. VFW Post 311 currently leases space in a property that is owned by the Village of Richton Park that is slated for demolition in the near future to support a downtown development initiative.

 

VFW Post 311 must establish an exit strategy from the property and locate a new home. It is the goal of the Friends of Post 311 to assist them in finding a new permanent home within the Village of Richton Park.

 

Richton Park is a wonderful community filled with caring individuals, volunteers and strong love for our veterans. We have the benefit of having a Village President that is a veteran of foreign wars and he continues to provide strong support for VFW Post 311 as an active member.


And the most beautiful thing is the amazing changes that start to occur within the communities in their individual and collective care of their veterans, and the positive changes they start to see in them with the efforts to uplift them visibly through programming and services.

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