RUMFORD — Each June, voters are asked to appropriate monies for non-profits through initiated articles as part of the annual town budget.

This June, citizens will be asked to approve $50,000 to the American Legion Post 24, which is also housing the local VFW Post, which could no longer afford its building on Waldo Street.

At the second initiated article request night March 13 before the budget committee, one of the presentees was Kirk Thurston, past department commander of the American Legion Department of Maine and member of the Napoleon Ouellette Post 24, accompanied by Hal Watson, VFW Post 1641 commander.

Thurston gave the most important reason for supporting this one-time request. “We do not want to lose another veterans service organization building in this town. Less than a year ago, we had to take out a 20-year, $60,000 loan to pay for the roof repair. Otherwise, that whole building would eventually have been condemned because of that damage on that roof on the hall side.”

American Legion Post 24 has called this post home at 184 Congress St. in Rumford since 1923. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

He said the damage to the 184 Congress St. building was due to the weather over the past few years and a flat roof. At the referendum vote last November, Thurston said the town had to move the poling station from the Legion to the high school.

Thurston said they have raised over $10,000 by Facebook and through a newsletter sent out to their members. “These donations aren’t just from members, they’re from the community as well.

He said this post home has been at the current location since 1923. “They raised $13,000 back then through donations from their members to buy that location. The building at that time was owned by Stanley Bisbee and has since been replaced.”

Thurston said, “We conduct a lot of fundraisers for other community events, whether it’s the scouts, or the soup kitchen fundraiser that we just did.”

They host fellow veterans organizations, and there’s community involvement. “We’ve got karate kids over there twice a week now. And we’re always thinking about other fundraiser events and it’s no cost for non-profit organization to come in and do a bonafide benefit.”

He said March 15th marked the 106th birthday of the American Legion. “Years ago, we were a big community, big membership, but now, like other organizations, the membership is dwindling.”

Thurston said, “I’ve got the support of the VFW because now, since they do not have a building. They are meeting at our location. A lot of them are duo members, which is really nice, but it doesn’t matter because it’s veterans taking care of veterans. We’re trying to raise money to pay this (roof loan) off so we can do our daily operations. We had a member look into a grant to cover the loan, but they do not give a grant to cover something that’s already been done.”

Town Manager George O’Keefe said, “I was pleased to find out that the Veterans of Foreign Wars Robert Shand Post had not actually closed and given up their charter. It’s newsworthy that we still a VFW in Rumford and I am really happy to see a sustainable model put into place that preserved the legacy of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Rumford alongside as a partner with the American Legion. I feel very strongly about the importance of maintaining both organizations and their presence, and the specific types of advocacy that the various organizations perform.”

The budget committee voted unanimously to put this request onto the town warrant to be voted on in June.