VFW Ship 4084

***UPDATED INFORMATION*** Evacuation Orders have been LIFTED. Fire Personnel are still in the area, please use caution and AVOID the burn area. Hogback Road re...mains CLOSED until further notice. All other road closures have been LIFTED. ***END OF UPDATE*** CodeRED alert- Please be advised there is a wild fire west of Horseshoe Meadows Road (above Lone Pine). All residents of Granite View and Horseshoe please evacuate at this time. If you have received this message and are camping in the Alabama Hills please evacuate at this time.

California is great again. Today, we reached 100% in membership. This 2020-2021 year has been full of unique obstacles for our members, the state, and the world.... But we, as veterans and VFW members, never backed down from the challenge. COVID-19 has forced us to adjust the way we do things, but we are proud of what we have accomplished this year when faced with an unprecedented global pandemic. The VFW, Department of California has fought hard for the wellbeing of our organization. While this year has tested all of us, the VFW Department of California has adapted and adjusted to meet the needs of our members and the communities where we live and work. In addition to everything, this is our centennial year, 100 years as a VFW Department. To our Post and District Commanders, we all know membership is the lifeblood of this organization; without membership, we cannot support our veterans, families, or communities. We know each of you will hold a special place in the VFW California history for leading us through this unprecedented year, but to top it off with reaching 100%. This will be an accomplishment that will never be matched. We showed the nation that while California has been shut down and continues to be shut down, we didn’t give up or sit back. We are looking forward to next year with enthusiasm, with our new leadership, let us continue to ensure we have the membership strength to accomplish our mission. We are looking forward to holding events, visiting posts, experiencing camaraderie like before, helping veterans, their families, and our communities again. COVID 19 challenged us but didn’t stop us from completing our mission. Thank each and every one of you for the work you are doing to make California VFW great again!

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Christian Woo, a 7th grader from Oakland, CA, received the first place Patriot's Pen medal and a check in the amount of $1,000 during our virtual awards ceremon...y. This year, the Department had over 1,900 students participate in the Patriot's Pen Program where they were asked to submit essays on the theme, "What is Patriotism to Me?" State winners go on to compete for $75,000 in prizes at the national level, with the winner receiving a $5,000 prize. Congratulations to Christian and to all of our accomplished finalists! See more

Claire Kane, sponsored by District 10 in Discovery Bay, CA was named the first-place winner of the California statewide Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program b...y the VFWCA during our virtual awards ceremony. Claire will continue on to compete at the national level for the $30,000 T.C. Selman Memorial Scholarship Award. This year's theme was, "Is this the country our forefathers envisioned?" Congratulations to Claire and to all of our finalists! See more

All, Due to the 2nd round of Shutdowns ordered for Kern County due to ICU bed availability having fallen below 15%, VFW Ship 4084 will be shutting down until the 4th of January, where we will re-evaluate. The meeting to determine interest in the Veteran Honor Guard will be postponed for the time being.... We are sorry for the inconvenience, but we hope this will be a short term shutdown, and that we can re-open and continue back full strength. V/r, Randy Brenneman Captain, VFW Ship 4084

Today at noon, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services will issue a region-wide emergency alert, asking residents to stay home except for essential activiti...es. The following alert will be sent via text message through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system to cell phone users across Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley: New public health stay at home order in your area. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly. Stay home except for essential activity. Wear a mask. Keep your distance. Visit covid19.ca.gov ***This message is informational only, and individuals who receive wireless alerts should not contact law enforcement or call 9-1-1.*** The geographically-targeted text messages will be sent to residents in the San Joaquin Valley Counties of: Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne.

Beginning Wednesday December 9th, Our Lodge will be closed for AT LEAST the next three (3) weeks, based-upon new rules by the State & County Health Departments.... There is really nothing we can do about this... and, YES, I realize many do not agree with these restrictions... but our Lodge must comply. "In any region that triggers a Regional Stay Home Order (Ridgecrest is considered part of the San Joaquin Valley Region) because it drops below 15% ICU capacity all operations in the following sectors must be closed (except to the extent that their operations fall within critical infrastructure): Indoor and outdoor playgrounds Hair salons and barbershops Personal care services Museums, zoos, and aquariums Movie theaters (except drive-in) * Wineries, bars, breweries, and distilleries * Family entertainment centers Cardrooms and satellite wagering Limited services Live audience sports Amusement parks " No meetings or gatherings will be permitted. We will re-open as soon as there is a handle on this thing (COVID). "They" say they have a vaccine which is 95% effective. Watch for our Flag to be flying, and check back here on Facebook for additional announcements. We (Management) will make sure the Lodge is ready to re-open as soon as practical... make sure you keep your membership up-to-date... as this will be our only source of income while we are closed!! As Always... feel free to contact us with any questions/comments/concerns! Ed Donahue Administrator, Lodge 258

All auxiliary member our December 17th meeting will be canceled our next meeting will be January 21st.