Registration Cut Off is Sunday, September 8
Our Story
‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ began in early 2017 when Gavin Long, now Commander, challenged Bill Thomas to “come up with a large money-maker” for the Post, the SAL, or the Auxiliary. After some careful thought, a Basket Raffle Lunch was in the works. The auxiliary’s Regina Goldman was instantly on board. For the next year and a half, the two would have daily car phone meetings and brainstorm every aspect. Late in 2018, Diane Tatman, Crystal Kahut, and Bill’s wife Jane joined them to finish the plans and sell out an April 13, 2019 event in the banquet room, with the anticipation of raising $5,000. Our generous Legion Family shared the excitement and donated more than enough raffle baskets and bought 200 tickets to the event.
March 2019 was a bad month for the ‘Girls’ team. With the COVID shutdown, the lunch was cancelled. Early Summer, 2019, Diane Tatman reminded us that her extra bedrooms were still packed full of more than $12,000 worth of prizes, gifts, TV’s, bikes and more. According to Diane, “I am tired of dusting all of this stuff.” Come to find out, Post 598 is blessed with 8 acres of open park space. The event was moved outdoors and was rescheduled for September 2019 with at least 20 feet between the tables. With a live band, as part of the new plan, the Team was able to sell 350 tickets to the event and raised $13,000.
Now here it is, 5 years later, and the same team, still together, can now boast attendance over 600, raffle prizes valued in excess of $25,000 yearly, and $80,000 in total monies raised to make an impactful benefit to our veteran community.
Main Sponsors
Website Sponsor
Wine Sponsor
Pancake Breakfast Sponsor
Tent Sponsor
Baird Wealth Management
Dr. Jan Saunders, D.O. Sports Medicine
Dr. Paul Gleason, MD, Hand Surgery
Lynn Frericks, Realtor, Coldwell Banker Heritage
Metropolitan is the official Dry Cleaner of GJWTHF
‘General’ Sponsors
1 Star ‘General’ Sponsor: $50
2 Star ‘General’ Sponsor: $100
3 Star ‘General’ Sponsor: $250
4 Star ‘General’ Sponsor: $500
5 Star ‘General’ Sponsor: $1,000
Cash Sponsors are still in development, more coming soon.
FIVE STAR SPONSORS
FOUR STAR SPONSORS
Diana Geiger
John & Beth Horvath
Cindy & Matt Deppen
Jim Cox
THREE STAR SPONSORS
Steve Demko
Theresa Jackson
TWO STAR SPONSORS
Joann Svellinger
Toni Winger
Mary Poeppelmeier
Joanne Duda
Linda Lowman
Julie Moon
Debbie Jaruisevic
Jimmy Price
ONE STAR SPONSORS
Stella Moulas
Basket Sponsors
Elaine Aldous
Kathy Allen
Kim Atkins
Nikki Barnhart
Cindy & Dave Bourelle
Karen Boyle
Barb Cole
Jeff Conklin
Debbie Cunningham
Karen Dornsife
Pam Driscoll
Linda Dunnington
Mary Jo Ellis
Pam Folz
Jackie Fothergill
April Gardner
Regina Goldman
Jeannie hart
Vicki Heinrich
Tammy Hill
Debbie Jaruisevic
Roxanne Kaserek
Nancy Klosterman
Jack & Ellen Knisely
Erica Kubea
Lauren Laack
Bonnie Lupia
Denise Morgan
Jimmy Morris
Lisa Orf
Tracy Pavlak
Shellie Pinewit
Billie Pullins
Kelly Romano
Jeff Sanders
Marcia Schneider
Mary Scott
Rachael Sparaco
Heather Spurlino
Gabe Tatar
Diane & Ron Tatman
Jane & Bill Thomas
Lynn Utz
Viola Wenzler
Betty White
Glenda Wohlenhaupt
Support These Locations and Their Workers
American Legion Auxiliary Post 165
American Legion Auxiliary Post 675
American Legion Book Club Post 598
American Legion Post 598
American Legion Riders Post 598
American Legion Sal Post 598
Andes Cakery
Apple Property Management
Archbishop Alter High School
Archers
Bagger Dave’s
Baird Wealth Management
Bee Gees
Big Sky Bread Company
Blue Star Families
Blue Star Mothers
Bonbright Distributing
BW3 Kettering
BW3 Sugarcreek
Carver’s
Cedar Hill Furniture
Cheesecake Factory
Chili’s
Chipotle
Cincinnati Zoo
City BBQ
Club Oceana
Condado Tacos
Coopers Hawk
Costco
Crown Packaging
Culpepper Law
Dayton Dragons
Dewey’s Pizza
Dickey’s BBQ
Dorothy Lane Market
Dr. Jan Saunders DO, Sports Medicine
Dr. Paul Gleason MD, Hand Surgery
Dublin Pub
El Asadero
Elsa’s Cantina
Elsa’s Stroop
Fire House Subs
First Watch
Foremost Seafood
Gateway Auto Clinic
Get Active
GFS
Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
Greek Street Deli
Harrigans
Heidelberg Distributing
Hollywood Gaming
Honey Baked Ham
Hot Head Burrito
Howerton Plumbing
Jacqui’s Hair Salon
Jay’s
Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen
Kroger Cornerstone
Learning Express
Los Reyes
Lulabell’s
Lynn Frericks, Realtor,
Metropolitan Cleaners
Milano’s
Montgomery Inn
NCR Country Club
Old Bag of Nails
Old Hickory
Panera
Pies & Pints
Pine Club
Pool Players of Post 598
Pot Belly
Raising Cane’s
RetireMed
Rum Runners
Sea Jax
Secret Garden
Shell
Siebenthaler’s
Sub House Kettering
Sugar Valley Golf Club
Tangles Beauty
Taste of Belgium
The Pub
TJ Chumps
Top Golf
Trader Joe’s
Treasure Island
Turbo Zone Fitness
TWIGS
USA Tire
Watsons
White Allen Chevrolet
Yankee Trace
Acquisition Team
Rick Busch
Rhonda Carnal
Carol Zimmerman
Karen Lewis
Linda Dunnington
Photos
Diana Geiger, Nicki Cochran & Bob Casper, Rick & Lee Anne Sloan, Tim Leonard & Venus, RetireMed Group Photo, John & Beth Hor
If you or your business would like to make a difference with your support, please contact Bill Thomas at [email protected]
Please notify Bill Thomas if you plan on making a basket donation. We want to make sure you get recognition for your generosity.
Email [email protected] with an item description, phone number, and your home address.
Basket Drop Off is Tuesday, September 10 in the banquet room.
We are again planning a lunch event, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, on Saturday, September 14, 2024. We are expecting to sell out the event with more than 600 ladies. Plans are to raffle and auction gift baskets and gift certificates from local businesses. This is a big deal!
In only 4 years we will have managed to raise more than $80,000. Over the years, Auxiliary monies that we have raised were able to provide a veteran with a bike from AMBUCS and another veteran a brand-new customized power wheelchair. We provide much needed items to the VA, give to Blue Star Mothers so they could send care packages to our deployed men and women, and provide food and clothes baskets to those in need. Just recently, we were able to offer a local veteran the gift of a life changing service dog.
2023 monies were dedicated to the Joseph House which offers treatment and recovery programs designed to empower Southwest Ohio veterans and their families suffering from PTSD and addiction to help make positive changes in their lives. With a little bit of help from all of us at Post 598 the new Joseph House Facility Opened June 2024. We should all be very proud. Our own Honor Guard was also on hand for the ribbon cutting.
With your help, 2024 will bring the opportunity to do the same good for our veteran community. Plans are to dedicate our 2024 monies to Blue Star Mothers so they could send care packages to our many deployed men and women on our behalf.
Women veterans to be served for the first time at new Joseph House facility (wcpo.com)
CLICK HERE to see how our last event in 2023 went!