Cleaning up – VFW renovation progressing with November opening in sight

Cleaning up – VFW renovation progressing with November opening in sight - A large white building - Property
The Upper Keys VFW Post 10211 is being renovated, with the goal of reopening in November. JIM McCARTHY/Keys Weekly

Renovation work at Upper Keys VFW Post 10211 is on track with plans to welcome patrons in November.

Under new leadership, the post is moving forward with a fresh, reinvigorated look. Jason Kendall, a retired Marine Corps major, took leadership of the post back in May along with four other veterans. It came after the post went into a steep decline.

“The previous commands made decisions like lowering the price of drinks to get more people to come in,” Kendall said. “It just kind of spiraled downward.”

In order to keep the good name of the VFW, Kendall said, the post was closed months ago to remodel and open up as a new place. With $6,000 to $8,000 in donations, members are doing everything possible to stretch the dollars.

“We just put up drywall,” he said. “I’m trying to get a working party this weekend to help paint all the walls inside. We have a contractor booked to put in all the lights for us.”

State Attorney and Post Commander Dennis Ward said Kendall and his band of volunteers, namely Marines, have done a wonderful job. He noted that donations from those in the community have helped to expedite the project. Overall, Ward said, the post will be more upscale and cleaner, with no smoking allowed.

“This will be a place that members will be proud of, and other VFW members coming from all over the country will have a place in the Keys to mingle,” he said. “There will be a vet or two sitting in the restaurant or at the bar. Sit down with them and thank them for their service.”

Kendall said Nov. 10 is the intended opening, but that may be delayed based on work that’s left and the help available.

“My hope is that it’s an establishment the veterans can be proud of, and they’re not ashamed to bring in friends and family,” he said. “It’s going to be a new VFW. The old VFW is gone.”

Kendall singled out two veterans for their work in bringing back the post. Kendall said Russ Ellis, a 74-year-old Vietnam veteran, is the hardest working man he’s seen. John Donnelly, a disabled Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, has donated 10 times more than anyone else to the cause.

“They chose to give to the VFW because they believe in what it is,” Kendall said.

For more information about donating to the VFW’s renovations, please contact Jason Kendall at 808-679-7187.

Jim McCarthy is one of the many Western New Yorkers who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures for warm living by the water. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 4-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. “One of my college professors would always preach to be curious,” he said. “Behind every person is a story that’s unique to them, and one worth telling. As writers, we are the ones who paint the pictures in the readers minds of the emotions, the struggles and the triumphs.” Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club, which is composed of energetic members who serve the community’s youth and older populations. Jim is a sports fanatic who loves to watch football, hockey, mixed martial arts and golf. He also enjoys time with family and his new baby boy, Lucas, who arrived Oct. 4, 2022.