Richard Volpe

Greetings, Desert Navy members. It has been a long, tough year, but it looks like we can start meeting again! It will be great to see you all. Be sure to mark your calendars with the upcoming dates. Our meetings will be held at the IHOP, located on the northeast corner of Arizona Avenue, and Ocotillo. Our meetings are held on the third Friday of each month at 11 a.m., with lunch being optional following the meeting. Meetings will be for members and associate members only, with prospective members welcome. We do have a guest speaker scheduled for our upcoming meeting on Sept. 17, and the topic will be “Salute to the U.S.A.”

Sue and Pat will be offering tickets for the 50/50 drawing prior to the start of the meeting, so dig deep into your pockets, and you may walk away as a big winner. Another bonus is that those members who participate in the 50/50 drawing will be receiving their dinner free of charge at the end-of-the-year Christmas party, while guests and those not participating in the 50/50 will be responsible for the cost associated with their dinners. The location for the end-of-the-year Christmas party is still under consideration, so if you have any suggestions, the Commander would be happy to hear from you.

Our 2 p.m. coffee at IHOP continues to run strong and will be continued on a weekly basis each Tuesday at 2 p.m. Spouses are always welcome, and the turnouts continue to be impressive. We’d like to welcome and offer our thanks to one of our newer members, Pat Kelly, for jumping in and helping with some of the essentials that make any organization run a little smoother. Additionally, Pat will be offering opening and closing prayers at the get-togethers whenever he can be available.

For any questions or suggestions you may have, please feel free to contact Rich Volpe, our club commander. Looking forward to seeing you all in the not-too-distant future. Rich can be reached by phone at 480-802-2532. All veterans of the Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines are always welcome, and we’d love to have you check us out.