VFW Post 7446 Addison IL

05/25/2026

Join us this Monday, May 25, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM as the Village of Addison, in cooperation with local organizations, and VFW Post 7446 Addison IL, hosts its annual Memorial Day observance. See flyer for details and for additional information, please visit: https://www.ithappensinaddison.com/

Please note that the Addison Police Department Records Section and Village offices will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day. Police Records will reopen at 7:00 AM and Village Hall at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, May 26.

As always, contact the Addison Police Department for 24-hour emergency, police and fire response by dialing 911. For non-emergency matters, dial (630) 543-3080. ML204

05/25/2026

We are very excited and we hope that you will join us on Saturday, August 29th from 9am-3pm for a Farmers Market. If you would like to participate, there is a $50 donation fee to be a vendor. Thank you and we hope this will be a great success and opportunity for our community.

05/25/2026

Village of Addison Memorial Day Events
May 25, 2026 🇺🇸

Enjoy a delicious free pancake breakfast at Indian Trail Junior High School hosted by the Addison Knights of Columbus starting at 8 am. Then, either head over to the Addison Historical Museum to learn about Addison residents who served their country from 9 to 11 am or join the community march to Saint Paul Cemetery on N. Mill Road at 9:30am followed by a wreath laying observance at 10am.

The official Memorial Day observance at Veterans Circle, located on the Addison Village Green, starts at 11am. Following the observance, the public is cordially invited for hot dogs, brats, and burgers at the Addison VFW Hall at 446 W. Lake Street.

All events are FREE and OPEN to the public.

04/23/2026

Important dates coming up in May:

Loyalty Day (5/1)
VFW Day of Service (5/2-31)
V-E Day (5/8)
Military Spouse Appreciation Day (5/8)
Mother's Day (5/10)
Children of Fallen Patriots' Day (5/13)
Armed Forces Day (5/16)
Memorial Day (5/25)

04/18/2026

VFW 2026 National Youth Scholarship Winners Announced

Maine high school senior takes home top $35,000 scholarship

PHILADELPHIA (April 11, 2026) – Earlier today the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) proudly named the national winners of its 2025-2026 Voice of Democracy® and Patriot’s Pen® youth scholarship competitions as it presented more than $176,000 in national scholarships and awards.

For the first time in two decades, the national winners were announced at a special 79th annual Parade of Winners ceremony at the historic Union League of Philadelphia during the winners’ trip to Founding Forward’s Spirit of America Youth Leadership experience at Valley Forge. The trip, awarded to every VFW Department (state) winner, was sponsored by Twisted X.

VFW Junior Vice Commander Glenn Umberger Jr. and VFW Auxiliary President Lois Callahan were joined by Twisted X Senior Director of Sales Clayton Smith to announce this year’s winners, presenting the national first place Voice of Democracy top $35,000 T.C. Selman Memorial Scholarship prize to Olivia Drewniak.

Following the announcement, Drewniak delivered her winning essay on this year’s thought-provoking theme, “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?” Read her winning essay. Drewniak, a high school senior at Morse High School in Bath, Maine, was sponsored by VFW Post 7738 in Bath.

Second place winner Kylie Saltzman, a senior at Lower Cape May Regional High School in Cape May, New Jersey, was awarded the $21,000 Charles Kuralt Memorial Scholarship. She was sponsored by VFW Post 386 in Cape May. Abigail Smith, a junior homeschool student in Bloomington, Indiana, was sponsored by VFW Post 604 and its Auxiliary in Bloomington and received the third place $15,000 VFW Scholarship.

The Parade of Winners presented $176,500 in national scholarships, with this year’s contest awarding more than $1.6 million combined at the local, Department and national levels. All Department winners received a college scholarship worth at least $1,000.

Also featured during today’s awards ceremony was the 2026 Patriot’s Pen first place winner, Andrew Ge. Sponsored by VFW Post 75 in Danville, California, Ge was awarded the top first place Patriot’s Pen award of $5,000 and delivered his winning essay addressing the same theme, “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?” Read his winning essay.

The Patriot’s Pen second place winner, Michael Sieniawski, sponsored by VFW Post 1337 located in Mount Prospect, Illinois, will receive a $4,000 award, while third place winner Brandon Darnell, sponsored by VFW Post 5738 located in Clare, Michigan, will receive a $3,500 award.

The VFW is now accepting entries for its 80th annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen competitions. To win a share of nearly $2.7 million in scholarships and awards, middle and high school students must answer “What a Veteran Taught Me About America.” The deadline to enter is Oct. 31, 2026. To read more about the contests or download the entry form, visit vfw.org/YouthScholarships.

See the complete list of all 2026 Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen winners. https://vfw-org-hqagarhxahbybyd9.z01.azurefd.net/-/media/VFWSite/Files/Media-and-Events/Articles/2026/2026-Voice-of-Democracy-Scholarship-Listing.pdf,

https://vfw-org-hqagarhxahbybyd9.z01.azurefd.net/-/media/VFWSite/Files/Media-and-Events/Articles/2026/2026-Patriots-Pen-Scholarship-Listing.pdf

PHOTO CUTLINES:

LEFT – VFW Junior Vice Commander Glenn Umberger Jr. (left) and VFW Auxiliary President Lois Callahan (right) present Voice of Democracy first place winner Olivia Drewniak (center) with her $35,000 scholarship during the 2026 Parade of Winners on April 11, 2026, at the Union League in Philadelphia.

RIGHT – VFW Junior Vice Commander Glenn Umberger Jr. (left) VFW Auxiliary President Lois Callahan (right) present Patriot’s Pen first place winner Andrew Ge (center) with his $5,000 award during the 2026 Parade of Winners on April 11, 2026, at the Union League in Philadelphia.

04/18/2026

VFW Names 2026 Top National Teachers
Each teacher will be awarded $1,000 for professional development and $1,000 for their school

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (April 13, 2026) – The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is proud to announce the selection of the national top three teachers in its annual 2026 Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award contest.

Established in 1999 and named after former VFW National Commander John Smart and retired VFW Quartermaster General Larry Maher, the award recognizes America’s top teachers for their exceptional commitment to imparting the value of Americanism and patriotism to their students by promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette and community service in their classroom.

Awarded annually, the VFW recognizes one teacher to represent the elementary (K-5), middle (6-8) and high school (9-12) levels. Each teacher will receive a $1,000 award for professional development and $1,000 for their school.

Elizabeth Lee, a science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) K-5 teacher at Ranson Elementary School in Ranson, West Virginia, was chosen as the elementary school winner for her dedication and focus on service, respect, empathy and civic responsibility built into her teaching. She is known for hosting initiatives like neighborhood clean-ups, food drives and collecting supplies for local animal shelters in need, in addition to planning family STEAM nights that help strengthen student learning and build a stronger community. Lee was sponsored by VFW Post 3522 in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Selected to represent the middle school level, Tammy Gipson is a teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School in McPherson, Kansas, and was chosen for her desire to bring the world and history to life in her classroom, and for her dedication to teaching the value and importance of community service, military service and civic duty. From bringing in local military and veteran families to discuss the meaning of Veterans Day and putting up a “Veteran’s Wall of Fame” with students writing letters to veterans, to organizing mock elections and hosting a piece of the World Trade Center from 9/11 to ensure newer generations never forget, her work with her students and the community continues to push the bar higher for her peers. Gipson was sponsored by VFW Post 2715 and its Auxiliary in McPherson, Kansas.

Selected to represent the high school level, Jeron Velasco, a high school teacher at Dishchii’Bikoh High School in Cibecue, Arizona, was chosen for his ability to transform history into a living dialogue of democracy, civic responsibility and community empowerment and support. A Filipino educator with American roots and the grandson of a veteran, Velasco bridges cultures through his Heroes of Cibecue project where students research, write and publish a book preserving the untold military service stories of White Mountain Apache veterans. Velasco was sponsored by VFW Post 9907 in Show Low, Arizona.

"To be a VFW Teacher of the Year requires a special blend of heart, resourcefulness and a deep-seated love of country, and teachers like Elizabeth, Tammy and Jeron represent the gold standard of education,” said VFW National Commander Carol Whitmore. “When instructors of this caliber inspire students through passionate, innovative and community-engaged teaching, not only do they embody the very best of the teaching profession, they also prove that education remains the cornerstone of a strong democracy.”

Each of the three national recipients will be presented with a $1,000 award for professional development and $1,000 for their school during the 127th VFW National Convention in Reno, Nevada, July 25-29, 2026. Nominate a deserving teacher you know for the 2027 Teacher of the Year at vfw.org/TeacheroftheYear.

04/18/2026

Digital G.I. Bill updates and 3 Millionth enrollment
The new Digital G.I. Bill system allows VA to process more than 60% of education claims in one day. That speed helps VA provide critical benefits to beneficiaries.

April 16, 2026
Education Service, Veterans Benefits Administration

VA processed the 3 millionth enrollment for education benefits in the Digital G.I. Bill (DGIB) system.

The new DGIB system allows VA to process more than 60% of education claims in one day. That speed helps VA provide critical benefits to beneficiaries who have dreams to further their education.

Sarah Martinez-Hanson is just one of the over 3 million beneficiaries whose benefits have been processed in DGIB. As an Army Veteran, mother and surviving spouse, she began her education journey using the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning. She is now pursuing a Master’s Degree in financial planning using Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship), which she qualified for through her late husband.

“If it wasn’t for the G.I. Bill benefits, I don’t think I would have found my purpose in life,” she shared. The DGIB has provided for her a sense of ease while using her education benefits. She can easily verify her enrollment each month using text, and access to her payment history and VA profile is just a click away, online.

Education benefits can be life-changing. Improving systems and putting Veterans and their families at the center has been an important part of the process.

“Since February 2025, we’ve been systematically expanding automation for education benefits,” said Kenneth Smith, executive director of VA’s Education Service. “We’re using technology to directly improve the GI Bill experience for beneficiaries who receive VA education benefits, by delivering education payments and decisions at record rates.”

Recent G.I. Bill milestone achievements
Record automation achievements: Automation allows beneficiary claims to be processed faster.
As of January 2026, 69% of Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance supplemental claims were automatically processed in a matter of minutes.
In addition, VA automatically processed claims for other G.I. Bill benefit types (including Montgomery G.I. Bill Active Duty and Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve benefits), processing over 1 million claims so far this fiscal year.
Legacy system replacement: In August 2025, VA introduced Benefits Manager, a modern system for processing G.I. Bill claims. The introduction of Benefits Manager enabled the retirement of the Benefits Delivery Network, a 50-year-old legacy mainframe, in September 2025. The Benefits Delivery Network’s retirement directly translates to improved security and significant cost savings for the American taxpayer. With Benefits Manager, Veterans’ applications are processed in a modern system that directly enables faster claims processing times and faster results delivered directly to Veterans.
Improved beneficiary experience: In February 2025, VA expanded pre-filled service history in the online G.I. Bill application to Montgomery G.I. Bill Active Duty and Montgomery G.I. Bill Selected Reserve beneficiaries. This update helps applicants apply for their education benefits, allowing many to submit their application in less than 15 minutes.
New enrollment verification methods: VA extended the ability to verify enrollment via text or email to Montgomery G.I. Bill Active Duty, Montgomery G.I. Bill Selected Reserve and Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance in August 2025. Monthly enrollment verification is required for all VA education and training beneficiaries who receive monthly benefit payments. While beneficiaries have the option to verify through other methods, text and email allows for fast and convenient verification, resulting in more time to use benefits and less time managing them.
The success of DGIB means more Veterans, service members and their families are able to apply for, use and get paid the benefits that they have earned and deserve.

04/18/2026

Notice of proposed settlement agreement for VA benefits claimants whose timely, substantive appeals have not been processed
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims recently certified the Freund v. Collins lawsuit as a class action. This notice discusses who is included, the proposed settlement, and more.

April 15, 2026
VA Office of General Counsel

On March 18, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (court) certified the Freund v. Collins lawsuit (Freund) as a class action. The court also appointed counsel to represent the certified class’s interests (class counsel).

The Freund lawsuit’s parties have filed a proposed classwide settlement agreement (proposed class settlement), which the court will review to ensure that it is fair, reasonable and adequate. If the court approves the proposed class settlement, the settlement’s terms will bind VA and all of the certified class’s members.

The court ordered VA to provide notice of the proposed class settlement and of class members’ right to object to it if they believe the proposed class settlement’s terms to be unfair, unreasonable or inadequate.

Does this notice pertain to me? READ MORE:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims certified Freund v. Collins lawsuit as a class action. This notice discusses the proposed settlement, and more.

04/18/2026

Open to all First Responders, Veteran, Civic and Community organizations. Chili Cook Off today Saturday, April 18th from 1pm - 4pm at our post and run by Chicagoland Veterans Campus of Addison. Plus entertainment by Joe King, Elvis tribute artist!

04/15/2026