Local veterans officials present check for more than $83,000
Members of the local American Legion Post 336 and Amvets Post 81 have presented a ceremonial check for $83,779 to MillerCoors – the Miller and Coors Brewing Companies – from their “Give a Veteran a Piece of the High Life” campaign.
Miller High Life partnered with the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for a second year on the effort, with Miller pledging up to $1 million in cash and “High Life” experiences for specially marked bottle caps and tabs from Miller products collected from across the country.
Matching funds for the over 8,000 specially marked beer caps and tabs locally added up to the big total.
The “experiences” will be everything from tickets to Major League Baseball and National Football League games, NASCAR races, sporting events, concerts and more.
“For us, it is veterans helping veterans. They (Iraq and Afghanistan veterans) are the new kids on the block. We do not know what it is like for them, but we do know what it was like for us,” said Amvets 81 Provost Marshal Doug Robeson.
It is a way for these younger veterans to have what could be an experience of a lifetime.
Some of the officials that presented the check included the North Fort Myers American Legion’s 336 Post Buddy Fields and Auxiliary President Dee Sims, the Legion’s 351 Post’s Dave Doty and George Taylor, Dan Woods from the VFW 10124 and Amvet’s Peg Milnes, District 6 Auxiliary president, Amvets Post 81 Commander Walter Ahmad and Provost Marshal Doug Robeson.
“It was a very successful campaign,” said Amvets Robeson. “Next year, it will be even bigger and better.”
Because the cause was so important to him, he personally helped sorting through the thousands of donated tabs and caps for the qualifying ones.
The campaign runs from July through September, so he and others are starting to collect now for next year.
The American Legion – Ralph W. Sparks American Legion Post 336 – is at 5770 Bayshore Road, just east of Sweetbay Supermarket. The phone number there is 543-1919.
The Amvets post – Jack Cava Amvets Post 81 – is at 1910 N Tamiami Trl., just north of Winn Dixie and across from the Goodwill Thrift Store. The post number is 995-1001.
You can also learn more about the campaign by visiting IAVA.org or millerhighlife.com.