13 September 2025
Department Commander, Members of the SEC:
1. The 2026 Convention will occur on 18-21 June 2026 at the Courtyard by Marriott Mount Pleasant. The Address for Courtyard Mt Pleasant is 2400 East Campus Drive, Mt Pleasant, Ml 48858. Phone number is 989-773-1444. Reservations can be made at anytime between now and Wednesday, May 20th 2026.
a. Conference Rooms are all on the 1 st floor, no guest rooms are on the 1 st floor. If special accommodations are required for wheelchair access, walk-in showers etc, make that known at the time the reservation is made. All guestrooms have a small refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave. Parking is free.
b. Guestroom rates were negotiated to the Military per diem rate of $98.00 per night. A block of thirty, (30) rooms are set aside for Thursday night and a block of fifty, (50) rooms are set aside for Friday and Saturday night for our use. After May 20th, the Hotel will release the block and the rooms will be sold at the prevailing rate to the general public.
c. The Americanism session will be conducted on Thursdayl 8 June 2026. The Ladies Auxiliary selected that day and will therefore be responsible for the meeting room price which was negotiated down to just $200.
d. The Sons will have a Hospitality Room on both Friday and Saturday located on the 6th floor. This space has a complete kitchen and an outdoor patio overlooking the CMU Campus football field. The fee for this space was negotiated to be $98.00 per night and the Sons will be responsible for these costs.
e. For Friday and Saturday, in addition to the Ladies and Sons meeting spaces, the AMVETS will have access to one Large Room that can accommodate 120 and two classrooms that will each accommodate 30 students. The cost of these spaces is $500 per day on Friday and Saturday and $250.00 on Sunday.
f. The Americanism Committee will be responsible to arrange for any catered food for the Americanism ceremony. The contract for those food services does accommodate that probability but no specific requirements are contractually obligated. All food and beverages, with the exception of the hospitality suite provisions, MUST BE catered by the hotel.
g. There is an on-premises Bistro serving breakfast and supper but they are not open for lunch. There is a strip mall just outside the front door that has several restaurants.
h. The Soaring Eagle Casino is just a few miles away from the premises however, there is no shuttle service from the Courtyard to the Soaring Eagle properties.
i. Having filed our sales tax exemption paperwork with the Courtyard by Marriott Mt Pleasant already, the sales tax is waived. The balance of fees will be calculated at the conclusion of the event for incidentals such as consumption fees for coffee at the rate of $38.00 per gallon and the recovery of any damages that may occur during the event by our guests.
j. Meeting Room Space fee responsibilities, before taxes, administrative fees, Hotel assessments and incidentals, are broken out as follows:
AMVETS: $1,250.00
Ladies: $200.00
Sons: $196.00
2. With the signed Convention Contract, I am prepared to file for the Raffle License Application citing the Courtyard as the drawing site on Saturday 20 June 2026. I am prepared to pursue the 50/25/25 Department Raffle to raise funds for the Department. These funds may be designated to cover Lodge Repairs or for any other requirement deemed appropriate by the SEC.
This concludes the 2nd Vice Commander Report, I ask that it be accepted as written.
Terrence B. Lavis
2nd Vice Commander
Department of Michigan AMVETS