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Wilwin recently received a $16,000 grant from Home Depot. The Grant covered the cost of putting the finishing touches to the four new cabins and grounds area. Volunteers from Home Depot erected a gazebo by the lake adjacent to the Veterans Village; dug trenches and laid stones for walkways from the recreation hall to all the cabins; closing off the bottom portion of the cabins; planted grass seed for a lawn surrounding the cabins. They also erected playground equipment; and stained cabinets and doors inside the cabins. In addition, they furnished all the tools to do the work. The only stipulation was that Wilwin had to buy supplies from Home Depot.

All the work was done on the 27^th of September. Spartannash Foods furnished all the food for lunch for the 45-60 volunteers.

Wilwin Board of Directors held its board meeting at the Fall Conference, Muskegon, MI. on September 21 and 22, 2018. Items presented included an overall master site plan; a five-year business plan; and a strategic long-term business plan. All these items will be reviewed at the Board’s November meeting at Wilwin.

All four cabins in the Veteran’s Village have been completed and being used. A special thanks to the generous donations from the American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, Auxiliary and Legion Riders; bedding, dishes, blankets, sheets, and all other items needed to make it comfortable for our veterans who utilize the Village. The AMVET Rider, Chapter 1988 of Baldwin purchased pots and pans for each of the cabins.

The recreation room has been completed for several months and is a “state of the art” building that provides a recreational area for our veterans.

Over the course of the past several years, “Operation Comfort Warriors” through our past National Commanders have donated a massage chair located in the main house, a pool table and most recently a shuffleboard table, both of which are in the rec hall.

Recently, National Commander Brett Reistad became the 5^th National Commander to visit Wilwin spending several days resting and relaxing immediately after the National Convention.

The Board of Directors wants to give a special thank you to the Sons of the American Legion for donating $4,000 to cover the costs of the Richard Lynch fundraiser party held at Wilwin August 5^th. The concert was a huge success with Richard Lynch’s “Love Tattoo” Foundation and the Waynesboro, Ohio American Legion purchasing a very nice golf cart for Wilwin.

The Sons of the American Legion also purchased four new golf carts for Wilwin (one for each cabin) plus the cabinetry that is installed in the cabins and rec hall.

There has been a tremendous increase in activity at Wilwin. PTSD and TBI Veterans, Reconnect Families, and Scout Groups have been using the facility in record numbers. With the four new cabins recently open, usage will increase even more in 2019 as we now have another way of grouping according to their needs. REMEMBER, THANKS TO YOUR CONTINUED DONATIONS AND SUPPORT, ALL OF THIS IS PROVIDED AT NO COST TO OUR VETERANS.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO VISITORS: Effective immediately, due to the increase in veteran activity at Wilwin, Earl and Beverly, the caretakers, ask that you call them at 231-881-0844 and make an appointment to visit. This way, they will make time for your visit and assure that you visit is worth your trip.

Many of the Veterans write letters expressing their feelings about their experiences when visiting Wilwin, others write memories in a visitor’s book. The Board of Directors would like to share one special letter with all our fellow Legionnaires and Veterans.

“Dear American Legion:

I am writing in regards to Wilwin at Cygnet Cove.

For the last three years my family has been coming to Cygnet Cove. The first year, to us, was getting to know the place and the staff. It was an amazing experience. Beverly, Earl, and Garrett really listened to everything I had to say and respected it. You see my husband has PTSD with anxiety and (suicidal) tendencies. I was worried that someone would trigger him. The other worry I had was that my son…has autism and he too can be triggered easily. So, to insure the safety of everyone, I asked to have only the caretakers there, this request was fully fulfilled and never once questioned. Everything went so smooth that my husband and son both started planning to come up the following year. If you knew my family, you would understand that this is a huge deal. We literally never go anywhere because of the fear of them getting triggered.

The second year was even better! Beverly and Earl, once again, had everything set up for our family. This year I saw my family grow and become closer. My husband and son started having conversations with Beverly and Earl. (This is huge!! Both … and … are very reserved and do not usually talk to anyone. They were actually having conversations!). Beverly and Earl new exactly how to talk to them both and they also knew when not to talk to them. It was such a relief for me to be able to just sit on the porch swing and let my two guys wander without worry. Once again, our family started planning for our third year.

This year, as usual, Beverly and Earl had everything ready for us. They did warn us that there may be people coming to check out the Veteran’s Village and they would tell us when …. And… felt so comfortable, that they would initiate conversations and for the first time ever, they wanted to venture out to Ludington and Manistee. They have built up a solid trust in Beverly and Earl that they felt safe to leave. (son) even hugged Beverly!! If you know anything about children with autism, you know they do not like being touched. Yet another huge milestone for our family. … (Amazing Volunteers!) …..

I guess the whole point of this letter is to show you that this is an important, therapeutic place. Without it, my family would never have become closer, learned how to be a family, and accomplish major milestones. I am totally grateful to the American Legion, Beverly, Earl, and Garrett for making this a comfortable place for my family to grow. Without you, none of this would have ever been possible.”

Legionnaires. Sons, Auxiliary, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is what Wilwin is all about!

Thanks for your donations and keep the donations rolling in. The busier Wilwin gets, the more it costs Wilwin to maintain serving these veterans and their families without cost.

Bill Hafeman, PDC

Board of Directors, Finance Chairman

Wilwin at Cygnet Cove is well on its way to getting ready to open for a 3^rd season. The board of directors has been busy planning and implementing improvements to the property. A new roof to the main house was installed in February 2018. Some tree removal was completed to prevent damage to some buildings and to make room for construction on the property. At this time there are four cabins and a recreation hall being built in what will be known as Veterans Village. This area of the property is set deep into the woods on the east end of the lake. Our hope is to have it up and ready to open in May. Some improvements you will see this year are the old dock will be replaced with a floating dock, making it safer to get in and out of the pontoon. A boatlift has been purchased for the fishing boat, which should make it much easier to get the boat in and out of the lake.

The month of April is the time of year we get the buildings and grounds ready for the season. Your help is needed. There is much to do and we would be more than happy to have your help. If you have some spare time, and would like to help, please contact Beverly and Earl at 231-757-0140 or 231-881-0844. You may also contact Garret Veihl at 616-843-1864. Just a little volunteer time will help us get our facility ready for the season ahead.

During the Winter Conference the board of directors held a meeting and voted to build a pavilion. This will be placed near the playground equipment towards the lake. The board also voted to fill a vacancy, left when John Amann resigned, with Mr. Duane Miller. Mr. Miller is a member of Post 48 in Grand Ledge, MI. Wilwin’s new webpage was unveiled, www.wilwinlodge.com. We also have a new Facebook page www.facebook.com/ALWilwinLodge. Please take the time to check it out and keep up with what is going on at Wilwin.

As always we want to say a big THANK YOU to all the posts and volunteers who have helped in the past with your donations, blood, sweat, and tears helping make Wilwin at Cygnet Cove a comfortable and relaxing place for our veterans and their families to stay. Last year we had a lot of new veterans taking advantage of our facility we hope to continue to support veterans and their families by providing a place where they can relax and reconnect with one another.

Beverly and Earl have been the caretakers of the facility for the last 5 years, and have notified the board 2018 will be their last year. The Board of Directors thanks Beverly & Earl for their years of service to Wilwin, with 3 years at Trout Lake’s Wilwin Lodge and the work they have put in at Wilwin Lodge at Cygnet Cove since December 2015.

With that being said, Wilwin is looking for those interested in becoming Caretakers, preferably a couple. The new caretaker couple would need to stay at Wilwin to maintain the grounds and buildings. Experience running a camp is preferred, but not required. This is a volunteer position. We would like the new caretakers to work with the current caretakers, Beverly & Earl, during September & October of 2018 to get a feel for how Wilwin runs. A more in depth description of duties and responsibilities will be given during the interview process. Please send your resume’s to Garrett Veihl 13525 Rich St, Grand Haven MI. 49417

Garret Veihl

Wilwin Board Chairman