Could amendment four dilute debt for veteran nonprofits?
HUMBOLDT, Tenn.–After months of living in the red, the Humboldt VFW house post is on the market. Voters will soon be weighing in on how veteran non profits could see more cash in their accounts with amendment four. If passed amendment four would allow veteran non-profit groups to have games of chance—-like raffles or cake walks, but some veterans say lotteries like that won’t make up for the revenues lost from bigger games like bingo.” “I think all veterans organizations that i know of in the area are all in the same situation,” said Fred Miller, who retired after 22 years in the U.S. Air Force. At one time, Miller says the House post in Humboldt stayed open six or seven days a week. Now, they have dropped to an all-volunteer staff working Friday through Sunday. “Right now we’re in a situation where we have volunteers. The members themselves volunteer to help out here. We don’t have any paid employees at the VFW,” Miller said. Miller said he remembers when the organization was not living with the burden of financial debt. Since the bingo ban of the 1980’s, veterans organizations, who used to host the game, are financially struggling, according to Miller. Voters might be able to lift some of the financial burden if they decide to pass Tennessee amendment four, which would allow veteran non profits to hold certain games of chance. “I think amendment 4 would probably be a step in the right direction, but I still feel like there’s a long way to go,” said Miller. The VFW could not bring back bingo, but they could hold a cake walk, something one former navy nurse says probably won’t appeal to many veterans. “I don’t think any of the veterans need a cakewalk, okay? I know I don’t so I think I’d rather play bingo than have a cakewalk,” said Walter Redfern. Miller says with or without amendment four, Humboldt’s VFW post will soon be gone. “We will lose our post home because we just don’t have the funds to support it,” said Miller. While the organization hopes to sell it’s headquarters, they will continue with the charter, according to Miller.
