KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Out of more than 1,000 Amvets Posts across the United States, it was Amvets Post 86 that won the 2023 National Americanism Post Award. The prestigious award was presented to Lake Region post for outstanding contributions to furthering the ideas of Americanism in students' lives.  

Founded in 1944 and chartered by Congress, Amvets is a veteran’s service organization with 250,000 members nationwide. Since then, the organization has provided assistance, jobs and services to veterans and their communities. 

“It’s actually very rewarding,” said Tanya Marheine, District X Commander and Department of Florida Americanism/AADAA Chairperson.  

To celebrate this achievement, Post 86 held a recognition ceremony where instrumental members of the post and McRae Elementary students were honored for their contributions. 

The ceremony opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance before Marheine spoke to the audience. During her speech, she revealed Post 86 was chosen to receive the award out of 1,000 or more Amvets posts nationwide. She presented a slide show to recognize eight students who won the contest for the Amvets Americanism Program by either drawing a picture or writing an essay based on the prompt: “What does freedom look like?”  

Marheine presented the 2023 National Americanism Post Award to the Ladies Auxiliary. The event also honored the Amvets Post 86 Riders for the 2023 National Recognition for Quality Chapter Award. The cerevony was capped off with the Riders donating $2,200 to Soldiers Freedom Outdoors, an organization dedicated to fostering healing in veterans through equine therapy.

The ceremony gave one last special recognition to Charlie Woinski and Nancy Keefner, the former Ladies Auxiliary Madame President who recently passed away.  

“Miss Nancy Keefner was a huge player in this,” Marheine said. “If it wasn’t for her, our Madame President Nancy Keefner, I’m not sure we could’ve received this huge award from nationals.”  

Amvets is deeply involved in its community. They support the V.A. hospital, the Fisher House Foundation and fundraise for other organizations that assist veterans.

They award scholarships to senior high school students, financially support community projects, donate to the local food pantry, support the homeless population, care for senior citizens and participate in ROTC programs.