The aftermath of Hurricane Ida hit the American Legion Gilbert Rauh Post #1574, located in Thornwood, New York very hard. This post was the meeting location of the Westchester County Detachment #254. The storm damage and details of the damage can be seen in our post Ida Aftermath Affects Veterans Group In Thornwood.
Faced with a prohibitively expensive renovation project, the post was considering selling the building back to the Town of Mount Pleasant for $400, a stipulation in the agreement from 1955, when the American Legion acquired the structure from the town.
In recent months the Fuller Center for Housing of Greater New York, a non-profit, stepped up to assist the doomed American Legion post. Members of the Fuller Center Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), several students from Manhattanville College, students from Tuckahoe Schools, and some Boy Scouts began with the removal of debris, removing the black mold. An architect and contractors are being hired to redesign and restore the post, and mitigate future flooding. To accomplish all that, it will take donations.
The Westchester County Detachment kicked off the fundraising with a Ten Thousand Dollar donation to the American Legion Gilbert Rauh#1574 post. The check was presented at the Detachment meeting on 5 April 2022 to American Legion Post Commander Drew McFadden (who also serves as the Detachment Judge Advocate).
For anyone who would like to donate, checks may be made payable to the American Legion and sent to American Legion, P.O. Box 92, Thornwood, N.Y. 10594.
