President’s Report July 2025
Saturday June 21st – we hosted our third anniversary of the Lawrence House Museum in the rear courtyard. Dr. Colin Zimmerman and the 12th New Jersey Company K Civil War reenactors put on a great show and made us appreciate the hardships those Soldiers endured. We had a great lunch catered by Doc’s Pub for everyone in attendance.
On 24 June, Bob Dutko and I attended the retirement luncheon for Col. Lola Washington at O’Connors. She was instrumental in the two-year endeavor to rename the Logistics Readiness building at the 108th Air Wing after Brig. General (Ret.) Robert Dutko. She will be missed as she and her husband Reggie are moving to Florida to enjoy retirement. We all wish her the best in their next chapter.
On 25 June, we held a successful golf outing at Cream Ridge Golf Club. We had about 50 golfers and everyone had a great time in spite of the heat. We received compliments on the event; the course was in great shape and the food for lunch was excellent. Thanks to the Deborah Hero Connect program for the bags and give aways as well as Lucas Chevrolet for the hole in one sponsor of a Chevrolet Trax. One lucky golfer came within 4 feet of the hole, close but not quite enough.
On 3 July the AFHM took our trailer to the Ewing Patriots Day Fireworks event. We were ready to open up but the rain did not cooperate. At 8pm the chief of police told everyone to evacuate to their cars, so we had to leave. The fireworks eventually went off when the rains stopped.
On 10 July we had an Executive meeting and did a deep dive into our budget. Thank you to Don Cammus for his great presentation of our Aplos software, and how well he tracks our finances. We are doing OK with our investments and overall fiscal health.
On 12 July Don Cammus kicked off the Patriots Day parade in Florence as the Grand Marshall, a well-deserved honor for Don. The parade wound through Florence and ended in Roebling at the ball field. Roy Plummer and Drew Marinkos each decorated their vehicles to represent the AFHM and our support for Don. We followed up that evening at the Fireworks event at the Township recreational facility. The Mobile Museum got a lot of visitors and conversation; many young children were attracted to the reader rail and videos. The aircraft carrier pictures got many comments and interest. We sold some 50/50 tickets and got donations from the public.
On 14 July, I attended the briefing on my next Honorary Commander role at Joint Base MDL. I am being sworn in August 1st in to the 514th Air Mobility Wing. The Wing Commander expressed an interest in holding staff meetings in the Lawrence House and doing a tour. More to come on that soon.
July 23-26 is the Burlington County Farm Fair. We are partnering with the Burlington County Historical Society in the history tent. Marvel is handling staffing, and she needs your help if for only a few hours. Sandra and I will both be away on vacation with our families. I’ll be in Myrtle from the 19th through the 26th. Please give Marvel and the team your support.
5 August is National Night Out in Delran. We have attended this for three years with the Mobile Museum, and it is a great event for us. We will be looking for help at the event.
On 7 August, we are taking the Mobile Museum to Springfield Township for their Veterans Appreciation Day. More to come on that event.
On 13 August, we are taking the Mobile Museum to the Amazon Back to School Day at the Florence Firehouse. The address is: 401 Firehouse Lane (off Cedar Lane in Florence). It is a well-attended event and we are supporting Amazon, our good partner in support of the Military and Veterans in our area.
50/50 Raffle sales are off to a good start, we will be mailing tickets to our members and ask that you reach out to family and friends to help sell them. We gave away over $5,000 last year and this year we hope to award $10,000. Your support is needed. We can do it!
