Hayden VFW Post in need of new space

Hayden Lake Post 9831, Veterans of Foreign Wars, needs a home.

Since its induction in 1972, Post 9831 has moved from one local venue to another, having even held meetings above the Rustler’s Roost Restaurant, before noise from patrons and the post’s growing numbers forced it to move to yet another location.

Other locations over the years have included an armory, a building that is now a church, and someone’s outbuilding. Each time, the post either outgrew its location or was forced to move to another place due to circumstances out of its control.

Currently the post meets at the Kootenai County Search and Rescue Building at 10865 N. Ramsey Road in Hayden, on the first Tuesday of every month. The post has been meeting there for about a year. However, with a membership increase of 143 percent in one year, the post is fast approaching the time when it will outgrow this place, too.

The post’s 150 members range from young soldiers who have recently returned from Iraq to veterans who served in World War II. Since most of the post’s members live in Hayden Lake, the post would like to remain there, said post Commander Wayne Syth.

“At this point, we are looking at any available option — land, building, or both,” said Syth.

Yet, the post receives very little income for its basic operations. The majority of money the post does get is diverted directly into its programs, so finding a permanent home is presenting a challenge.

“Honoring the dead by helping the living” is the mission of VFW posts across the nation. Charitable works toward that end include the Adopt-a-Vet Program, Buddy Poppy Fund Drive Program, Flagpole Program, Operation Uplink, an ongoing program in which soldiers serving overseas are given prepaid phone cards in order to keep in contact with family members, and various cemetery programs.

In 2003, Hayden Lake Post 9831, chosen above all other posts in the state, was given an outstanding community service award, among many other awards the post earned that year. Syth anticipates the post will again be honored for its hard work and dedication to veterans.

“Like most nonprofit organizations, we operate on a shoestring budget. What funds are raised go back into the community and our veterans, which is how it should be” said Dusty Rhoads, the post’s quartermaster.

Syth concurred, saying the sooner they can find a permanent home and continue with the business of helping veterans, the better.