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WarTime Contributions By AkSarBen Listed ListedWith With No Race Meeting TKis Year Effort Will Have to Be Curtailed CurtailedOMAHA OMAHA Neb May 12 An Impressive list of wartime accomplishments the ex ¬ tent of which has been largely made possi ¬ ble by racing revenue is listed by president J E Davidson in a report to the 7500 members of Omahas famed civic organiza ¬ tion tionHe He pointed out however that without racing which necessarily was called off this season because the Army is occupying Ak SarBen Field the organization would have to depend entirely upon membership rev ¬ enue this year Therefore it could not be expected to make as many contributions to the war effort effortIn In peacetime AkSarBen spread far and wide the fame of the Middle West as a source of the finest livestock meats and other agricultural products Davidson pointed out Aside from racing and in addition to its livestock show den show and other regular activities it brought Sonja Henie ice hockey and many other top at ¬ tractions to Omaha for people to enjoy and is acquiring for the people of Iowa and Nebraska their first tollfree bridge across the Missouri River RiverWhen When victory has been won and we can return to our normal peacetime activities including our annual spring race meeting AkSarBen hopes to resume all these and keep adding to them to the full extent of our ability abilityAccomplishments Accomplishments on the part of AkSar Ben to aid the war effort were listed by Davidson as follows followsAkSarBen AkSarBen funds made possible out ¬ door theaters at Jefferson Barracks Fort Riley Camp Funston etc etcAkSarBen AkSarBen funds purchased recrea ¬ tion equipment and athletic supplies at Forts Leonard Wood Leavenworth Crook Omaha and other nearby posts AkSarBen funds aided the service mens canteen in Omahas Union Sta ¬ tion and equipped a Negro soldiers recreation room roomEquipped Equipped enlisted mens lounge and post theater at Fort Omaha also helped equip induction center and lounge at Fort Crook Mobile canteen costing approximate ¬ ly 2000 donated to Red Cross and has been constantly used ever since par ¬ ticularly in flood work workContributed Contributed 1000 to American Womens Voluntary Service for pur ¬ chase of goingaway kits for boys en ¬ tering service similar contribution of 100 to Council Bluffs League for Service ServiceSponsored Sponsored AkSarBen squadron of Naval Air Cadets and gave each boy a money belt on which his initials were engraved engravedSponsored Sponsored AkSarBen WAAC squad ¬ ron ronStaged Staged gigantic Smiles for Soldiers entertainment at Coliseum last Octo ¬ ber featuring Igor Gorin Fray Brag giotti etc etcSponsored Sponsored Food for Freedom cam ¬ paign with 4H clubs so successful that it is being repeated this year at request of state 4H club office officeSeven Seven hundred and thirty Nebraska schools in every corner of the state awarded AkSarBen Victory flags for bringing in more than fifteen million pounds of scrap scrapConducted Conducted salvage contest among 4H clubs last summer offering liberal prizes Helped finance organization period of Omaha Civilian Defense Corps and are now providing free office tele ¬ phone etc for chief airraid warden Purchased equipment for a new can ¬ teen to be operated by Red Cross at Municipal Airport for use of air cadets and Army pilots
