Forlaw plans to focus on growing membership
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
Ret. Col. Loretta Forlaw will become the first woman to become commander of the VFW Post 10147 on June 12, which coincides with Women Veterans Day.
Forlaw, who was elected in April, will serve a one-year term as commander. She follows Andy Anderson, who held the position for six years.
“I’m very honored and grateful to have the opportunity to work further with VFW plans,” Forlaw said.
Forlaw said her primary focus is to increase VFW Post 10147 membership to help more veterans, especially women veterans.
VFW Post 10147 has over 300 members, but not all are in Florida. There are 40 active participants.
Forlaw is collaborating with other organizations to identify local veterans and develop better marketing strategies, especially for Altamonte Springs.
“We’re connected, but we need to do more to ask for more support from the community,” Forlaw said. “We really haven’t done a good job of marketing how the community can help us.”
Forlaw has been a member of Post 10147 for about eight years, active for five, and was a volunteer as a community relations director for the last two. She served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. After retiring from the military, she was a nursing faculty member for 25 years at different locations. She last taught at the University of Central Florida nursing school.
Fundraising is crucial for the VFW, according to Forlaw, saying that the VFW plans to organize one like what she calls “stand downs” to help women veterans. At a stand down, women veterans are invited for food and haircuts as well as assistance with finding jobs and other life needs.
“We just haven’t focused enough on it in the past, and it’s hard when you have a small membership,” Forlaw said. “Our problem is that our active membership is small, and we really need to grow attendance by our members.”
Forlaw has been visiting the VA Orlando Healthcare since 2000 to increase awareness among female veterans that they have VA benefits, the same ones as their male counterparts.
“If you’re wearing a shirt that says, ‘I’m a combat veteran,’ a man will come up to you and ask you why you’re wearing your husband’s shirt,” Forlaw said. “That has happened to VFW members by other VFW members. We don’t wear hats like the guys. So you know right away they’re veterans, but women haven’t been really—we don’t have a symbol of women being veterans.”
Forlaw pointed out that some women veterans don’t need the VA because they can get insurance through their husbands.
“They’re okay but then something happens, and the family gets disrupted,” Forlaw said. “That’s how many veterans end up homeless, but don’t know that they’re entitled to VA benefits. It’s more prevalent among women, because there was a time when women weren’t treated the same as the male veterans at the VA, but in the last three to four years, the laws have really been changed to make the women more on par.”
As Post 10147 commander, Forlaw will host a seminar for women veterans from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 12 at Holden Heights Community Center (1201 20th St., Orlando). Registration and networking/resources will take place 10-11:30 a.m., followed by lunch and program from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is free and donations are welcomed.
Visit rb.gy/dy80si for more information and to RSVP.
The Apopka Chief and The Planter are weekly community newspapers, independently owned and family operated, that have served the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923 and 1965 respectively.
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