1st Annual Eagles of Valor Dinner
June 27, 2007
On September 22, 2007, Gathering of Eagles will be Honoring our Veterans and Active Military Service Personnel at the First Annual Eagles of Valor dinner. The dinner will take place in Chicago, IL.
As members of Gathering of Eagles, GOE wishes you to provide input to ensure that this event is implemented to the best of our abilities. Please take a moment to answer the poll in the sidebar, and leave us a comment on this article letting us know any thoughts about the points below.
Thank you for helping us make this an event you will be proud to attend.
1. This event will be ticketed. The price of the tickets will include the meal, retainer of the venue, speakers, and additional items. Ticket prices are determined by the meal choice, and range from $60 per meal to $100. Would this affect your decision to attend?
2. The venue offers:
a) a buffet dinner,
b) a four course plated meal,
c) or a dinner package that includes a four course meal with appetizers and an Open Bar.
Which one would you prefer?
3. Do you think this is a positive event for GOE to sponsor?
4. Would you attend this event annually if GOE agrees to sponsor it annually?
Thank you for your input! We will review your responses and announce the details at a later date.
Comments
23 Responses to “1st Annual Eagles of Valor Dinner”
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I voted yes what does everyone else think ?
I would opt for option C. It is a positive event and I would attend regularly.
If it were not for the fact that it’s in Chicago I would go and I would spend more than $100.00 to attend. Open bars are fun! Before I could comment on whether or not this is a positve event you’d need to tell me how your going to honor vets. If GOE decides this should be an anual affair, I suggest it be moved around the country to give all a chance to participate. When you bring it to Philly or New York, I’ll be there.
We can definitely move the event around! I would attend no matter where it went!
The vets will be honored by first, of course the dinner, secondly all speakers will be brought with Vets in mind. We are also trying to have a band and dance floor. All in all this is supposed to be a night where vets are thanked and feel like royalty. Eventually we may be able to have enough money donated to present vets or VFW posts with awards of honor…etc. But until then-this is supposed to be a night dedicated specifically to them.
I will in any case be unable to attend. I think that there is an opportunity for GOE to use an event such as this to raise some of the funds it needs to cover operating expenses. The price seems a bit high; will all the money be spent on the event or have you built in a ‘profit margin’? Would hate to see any ‘profit’ go to the caterer.
thats not a bad deal if. My old battalion gives us retirees a banquet yearly 35.00 with a cash bar and it hard telling how much the social fund has to come up with to cover the additional cost. so it all looks workable to me
That is an excellent Idea! However, I live on the west coast; not something I could even consider. I would think if you had these at various locations yearly, with an agenda, and sight seeing opportunities, and hotel/motel rates, (like some military reunions are done), it would be more interesting and likely people would go. Just a thought! Good luck with it; interested in the outcome.
Although the location is fine (Chicago is close enough to make a trip), my agenda is currently up in the air. Once things firm up and I know where I’ll be in September, I will make a decision. Other than that, it sounds like a wonderful idea and I am 100% behind it.
I don’t think it is too expensive no matter which way you go with it. Rather than attending, I would rather sponsor a vet to attend who would not get to go otherwise. By donating sky miles, hotel points and the cost of the dinner to a vet. How to select the vet would be another thing to figure out at another time.
All sounds good to me.
With an open bar and sit down dinner I’d pay $200. Let me know when you have one in New York. Have fun in Chicago.
Roll on Eagles.
Russ Cote, J.D.
GOE I-alumi
I voted that I’m interested (actually, VERY interested), but can’t give a definitive answer at this time. Are there ANY details that can be shared with the rest of us at this point?
A buffet dinner would be fine by me; remember, I’ve had the ultimate buffet; MRE’s!!!!! :o)
Also, for an event like this, I’d be happy with just a speaking agenda, and socializing afterwards!
I would try it this year, and if it’s a success, do it every year!
Wherever it’s held, recommend you find a hotel where a block of rooms can be reserved, with the room price ideally under $100/night.
Those are my thoughts!
Hey All…okay you want more details? Well, this is all being put together by myself and ViperAsh..so here goes.
Speaking Agenda with motivational and inspirational speakers geared towards celebrating our vets.
Vet sponsorships are something we highly reccommend doing!
–I suggest checking out local VFWs or a vet that influenced you!–
The venue I am leaning towards works with a hotel down the road, I will block out rooms and room rates will be under $99.00
I will also include a packet of local places to visit both entertainment and historically. In addition, transportation will be taken care of from hotel to dinner and back.
How does that sound so far?
Thank you all! This is extremely hard work and I want to make sure everyone has some input. I know this is just as important to you as is to me!!
Thanks again!
Would you all be interested in having candidate
Duncan Hunter attend this ?
I am talking to someone in his campaign and there may be a possibility.
Politics aside , Mr. Hunter is an amazing man and a
combat veteran .
Please advise.
As one of the attendees at the original GOE event on March 17, 2007, I can already see that the “flavor” of GOE is quickly becoming dominated by an upper echelon mentality that, I think, detracts from the initial spirit of the organization. Perhaps my growing pessimism is due more to my general aversion to formal organizations that stray from the original passion that served as their inspiration and gradually devolves into patting one’s self on the back rather than concentrating on acts of direct support of our active duty military. I may be too tainted in my sentiment since I have two sons that are deployed and my wife and I work dilgently, on our own, to solicit direct one-on-one acts of kindness to our serving heroes. OK, I’m ready to be pounced upon for issuing forth an opinion other than those that offer the typical “Hip, Hip, Hooray” for us. Anyone out their have similar feelings or am I alone?
15–Thanks so much for your assistance but we have already lined up SSGT Tim Chambers and Ret. Col Jim Coy.
Thank u though.
Mr. Davis,
Please thank your son’s for their service. Thank you and your wife for your sacrifice. You are all in my prayers. Your opinion is valuable here. We don’t all have to agree on everything. I think we can all agree that such a sacrifice as your family is making deserves our respect and support.
I read this announcement with much interest and much regret. I know I may be a stick in the mud, but it sounds like Mr. Couturier and I may have similar thoughts - keep the socialization seperate. Through the years I have never even considered helping the American Legion because every legion I knew had a bar in it. So my input is to keep the socialization seperate, so that those that are offended with the partying, booze, dancing and music, can participate! Please don’t misunderstand how enthusiastic I am with this idea! That is why I wanted to put my input in here now. That way, if this does become an annual event and is moved around the country, I might be able to attend with my family! You might want to contact the organizers of the Provo, Utah Freedom Festival. They do this every year, I believe this year will be thier 26th year. They do an awesome job in honoring our troops, veterans and freedom fighters in many areas besides defense. Sounds like Sean Hannity could give alot of assistance to such an event being he is having 5 similar events across the country this year. Well, I believe I have made my point and I hope to receive updates that this is a shining success for all those that would like to participate. Keep up the great work and as another commenter said, don’t get distracted from the original focus, combating the anti-war crowd!
I think this is a wonderful fundraising idea and you can count on me to be there, as well as my family. As my Son serves proudly, we will proudly participate and will tell everyone we know about it! I cannot tell you how much we appreciate all you folks are doing for our Soldiers and God Bless You! Whatever the price of the tickets, we will make it!
Although I originally voted that I would be interested, but can’t give an answer,
Well the answer is no…
My sister’s wedding is 2 weeks before, and I can’t afford to do both, and family comes first.
Reference #14 and #17. I too take the risk of a backlash from people who may disagree. But I do agree completely with #14 & 17 that we must not lose track of our original purpose. There are already many organizations out there where some unseen group of “organizers” and “controllers” come up with great ideas, ask for input, but as suggestions are made, it is clear that that upper eschelon group has already made the decisions, chosen the speakers, settled on costs and the request for input is to make everyone feel good. After observing some things in DC for GOEII, I strongly suggest no open bar in the price or offered period. Bars are never a good place for board meetings, or to be offered open at officialy sanctioned events. If you drink, pay for it yourself dont include it in anyone elses price. I regularly take groups of 40 to 50 people to DC for three to four days with many events and can book hotels far superior to the Holiday Inn Georgetown for less than your cost in Chicago. I would say what exactly is going to be included in the room cost, and what is in the cost for the evening event. Please remember that when the VFW & American legions started to become so bar, bingo, and bottom line oriented, the membership has dwindled and the original mission has suffered. You asked for “Volunteers” to serve as regional and state coordinators. Perhaps you should send something out to them far in advance of going public with 175,000 fund raisers and 100.00 open bar dinners. I personally will plan to be there. But I will pay for my own beer.
I have a few questions….will the vets who are being honored have to pay the 100.00 a plate? Are all Vets invited for the honor…or is it a select group? If this is a social event and for fundraising…where are the funds that are raised going to be used?
Karen,
The money raised would go to fund GOE activities such as rallies, a television ad to raise awareness for GOE and for the troops, and monthly expenses for this website, among many other things.
I’ll let Gabi answer the other questions since I don’t want to give wrong information. better to KNOW then be unsure and just yap.
Thanks Kit