The Sons of the American Legion (S.A.L.), Squadron 214, recently announced its plans to assist the Bates, O’Brien, Howe, Wiegel, Roelli Post 214 with raising funds to update their facility. 

The Legion Hall, located at 1400 Keep Street in Darlington, was built in the 1950s and has seen a lot of use through the years, but little in the way of interior main hall improvements. 

This particular fundraising effort will seek to raise funds to improve the overall aesthetics and energy efficiency of the main hall (upstairs), which will include new walls, a lowered ceiling, new lighting, new doors, and insulation. 

While the Legion Hall has served as a central meeting place for Darlington area veterans for the past 65 years, it has also served as a community center for a number of non-profit groups at no charge, like the Boy Scouts, American Red Cross Blood Drives, Friendship Fund, and Second Harvest Food Pantry, just to name a few.

The S.A.L. is thrilled to announce that the Home Depot Foundation has graciously agreed to kick off the fundraising efforts with a generous grant of $4,000. The overall project is estimated to cost roughly $23,000, but the S.A.L. is hopeful donated labor will reduce that cost significantly. 

The S.A.L. will be conducting a fundraising raffle between now and Sept. 12 to raise funds for the project.  Tickets are $10 each and residents will be receiving a mailing to educate them about the fundraiser and the opportunity to participate. 

The raffle drawing will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 12, which is the same night as the Steak and Chicken Fry and Friendship Fund Auction at the Legion Hall.  Winnings include $500 cash for first prize, $250 cash for second prize, and $100 for third prize.

Anyone with questions about the fundraiser or raffle may contact Jason King, S.A.L. Commander at 776-3032 or jasoneking@outlook.com.