American Legion #207 5K to raise funds to rebuild veteran’s community in Tucker

Tucker resident and former Marine Scott Brady is on a mission to rebuild an American Legion Post building that was destroyed in a fire in 2019, but he has set his sights far beyond bricks and mortar.

With the support of the public and Home Depot volunteers, that mission is moving towards success.

In 2019, the 70 year-old American Legion Post #207 building burned to the ground, due to, according to investigators, faulty wiring. The rebuilding process was plagued with disaster, including the refusal of the post’s insurance company to pay out and the resultant supply chain issues and labor shortages brought about by Covid.

The project languished until Brady got involved in 2022.

“I was driving around Tucker and I noticed so many cars with veteran’s license plates, and I wondered why there wasn’t an American Legion post there,” Brady said. “I started researching and found the commander’s name (Anthony Mathis) and tracked him down on LinkedIn.”

By that time, Mathis, a fellow Marine, was done with the battle, Brady said, and in discussions to sell the land and walk away.

“I had about two months to raise more than $200,000 [to pay for work that had already been completed],” he said. “That was just to get us off life support.”

After that was accomplished, albeit in four months rather than two, Brady turned his attention to the next hurdle. While he wanted to get the physical plant rebuilt, he envisioned a loftier  goal – to create an community that embraced the veterans, their families and gave back to others.

“We needed a mission and a vision, so we worked on that first,” he said. “We also started building our membership, which was around 22 people and is now about 70.”

The three-pronged mission statement addresses:

• Rescue: Seek out and help veterans by addressing the suicide crisis
• Restore: Mind, body and spirit:
• Repay: Pay back with community support

Several fundraisers have already been held the past few years to cover construction costs, and Brady and his “Save the Seven” committee hope that the the next one, a 5K walk/run on Saturday Nov. 9 , will help provide much-needed funds to start finishing out the interior of the building.

“We’ve got sheetrock and framing and now we are trying to get the money to finish the last pieces, which are very expensive,” Brady said.

One big boost will come the day before the 5K when 200 or more Home Depot volunteers will descend on the site for the company’s volunteer work day.

“They are going to be installing landscaping, building a handicapped-accessible community garden, bringing a garden shed, repairing fences and building picnic tables,” he said. “It’s an unbelievable gift.”

Brady is calling on the Tucker and surrounding communities to help with the final push of $200,000 to finish the job.

“If you are looking for a mission, we’ve got one for you,” he said.

Those wishing to participate in the 5K can register on active.com. The run kicks off from the Tucker High School parking lot, 5036 Lavista Rd. The committee is still looking for sponsors as well.   Anyone needing more information can email Brady , or visit the website.

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