Chapter 106 in Sumter staged a snack drive for the local USO and also takes part in a charity ride that provides gifts for VA patients.
Located in Columbia, S.C., Fort Jackson serves as the U.S. Army’s main production center for Basic Combat Training. When American Legion Riders Chapter 6 Director L.Z. Harrison in Columbia read that all of the recruits going through basic training are allowed to go home for Christmas, he knew that the Columbia Metropolitan Airport’s USO was going to be busy during the holiday season.
That prompted Harrison to assist with those efforts. “I realized how many were going to be going through there and thought of the idea of doing a snack drive,” he said. “Most of us (Riders) are recipients of the USO during our career in the military. So, we know how important it is when you’re deployed what the USO does for you. It kind of gives you a home while you’re waiting on transportation. It’s important to us to make sure they have the resources they need to take care of the currently serving military.
Around $225 was donated during the drive, and Chapter 6 voted to match that. The chapter used the funds to purchase items at Sam’s Club, and combined with items that had been donated already, it was able to present the USO South Carolina with 58 boxes of snacks and 48 cases of water and other drinks.
“We have a pretty close relationship with the USO at the airport because we always go out and do deployment (send-offs) and also welcome homes,” Harrison said. “So, we see how much (the donated items) get used.”
Chapter 6 doesn’t just look to help active-duty military around the holiday season. For 13 years, the Riders have taken part in some form in the Vets Christmas Charity Ride in Columbia. The ride collects Christmas presents for patients at the William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Columbia, some of whom have no family to visit with them during the holidays. Monetary donations also are collected and presented to the medical center to purchase items for its patients throughout the year.
Chapter 6 is one of the Riders chapters in the area that participates, while Harrison said Chapter 15 (Sumter), Chapter 175 (Dalzell), Chapter 90 in South Congaree and Chapter 193 (Chapin) also participate.
“One thing I noticed this year is, and not just in the Vets Ride, is we had a lot of Legion Riders chapter and a lot of new members come out,” Harrison said. “There’s a lot of patches now at these events from the American Legion Riders at these events in the community. They’re doing great things.”
For years, Chapter 6 has made a monetary donation to the ride; this year that amount was $1,200.
“There are a lot of people that donate gifts, and that’s good because (the patients) need the underwear, the socks and things like that,” Harrison said. “But throughout the year, they can use the money to go and buy things that didn’t get donated or that come up. One year they used the money to buy ice cream because the VA budget didn’t include ice cream that year. One year they also bought iPads for those undergoing chemotherapy.”
Being able to assist the veterans at the medical center through its donations “feels really good,” Harrison said. “A couple years ago when I was working, I had a boss who was in the hospital during that time. And when he came back to work, he said his spirits were so lifted up when they came in with gifts from the Riders. It made him feel so good.
“It makes us feel good that those who are in the hospital during the holiday are going to be able to enjoy it.”
- Riders