AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARYDEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK, INC.

BOOK OF REPORTS 2018

PATRICIA M. HENNESSYDepartment President

2017-2018

PresidentPatricia M. Hennessy

It is hard to believe that this administrative year is coming to an end. In July 2017, I was honored to be elected to the office of President for the Department of New York.

After attending the National Convention in Reno, the three Department Vice Presidents and myself began our 9 day 10 District Visitations to promote the American Legion Auxiliary programs, the importance of increasing and maintaining membership, National’s information from Convention as well as my President’s project.

After a few days’ rest, the Legion Commander, Detachment Commander and I began our scheduled 62 County Visitations. During these visits we were privileged to see many of the museums, memorial monuments, veteran homes, etc., but also to hear of their many successes during the year to promote our mission and organization.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about the wonderful things happening in the Department of New York.

Members were busy promoting Americanism/Patriotism to our youth in schools, youth organizations, meetings in the local communities, etc. This included flag etiquette, the flag’s history and its meaning.

Our Education Chairman promoted the scholarships offered by the American Legion Auxiliary in all local schools. Members interviewed and selected 360 young ladies to attend our Empire Girl State program. We are very proud

of our program and the members who volunteer to work during this week. This year we had the privilege hosting the National Creative Arts Festival. What an experience seeing all the

talented veterans who participated. The art, poems, music, stories, etc. amazed all who got to in this wonderful and exciting endeavor.

Several Auxiliary members including myself attend the American Legion’s Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. It was very informative and educational as to what the issues being brought to our Legislators.

I, as well as several Auxiliary members, attended the six National Commander’s Visitations to New York. Commander Rohan spoke some on her travels this year as well as insuring we remember to “help the family” of those being deployed.

The members of the Department of New York are proud of our organization. We continue to work at retaining members, recruiting new members; promoting our mission and organization thru newspapers, face book, Twitter, etc. in order that we are here 100 years more. ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

MembershipMarie Mock, Chairman

Thank you to all of you who worked so hard this year for President Pat. I heard from all 62 counties at least once during the year. Several of those reports were second hand so we need to work on making sure we report on time every time. We know that membership is vital to our organization, and we have taken many steps to enhance our membership. We are working the Strategic Plan because all of the goals come together to achieve Goal One. We will continue to work on all of the goals to enhance our membership experience. We have also been working as a Legion family to identify and invite members.

As the Department Chairman, it was my duty to make sure that all ten of our districts and all 62 of our counties received the information that came from National. As such, I sent weekly membership updates and encouragement to the District Presidents and Membership Chairmen and to the County Presidents and County Membership Chairmen (special thanks to Caitlin for doing so much to help). Many of you forwarded these with encouraging notes to the groups below you. I also had membership articles in all of our newsletters and spoke at Fall Conferences and the Midwinter Leadership Conference. Several of you used parts of the newsletters to encourage your own groups. Everyone is working the Plan of Action to retain, renew, and recruit members. Our units have membership teams that try new ideas regularly. So many of you have told me you are trying very hard and have been diligently working the Plan.

Congratulations to the units and counties that won monetary awards because they reached goal by several specific dates. Several of our counties also offered membership incentives. Congratulations to those winners as well. As an incentive example, Peanut (the doll) went to all meetings and brought gifts for membership success in Oneida County. Several counties had “early bird” incentives and several held special dinners for membership success and to encourage people to bring in new people. “Invite a friend” was a common theme.

Many of our units have Legion family newsletters such as Oswego County and Zaloga Unit where they bragged of successes and gave encouragement. Several units and counties such as the Erie County units also worked on increasing our visibility in the community by being part of community events where members wore Legion family apparel and carried and distributed applications. Members spoke often to anyone who might be eligible. They made phone calls and sent emails and postal mailings. They also used the Post outside billboards and inside bulletin boards.

Many of our units were successful using a wide variety of techniques as evidenced by the number of units who have increased membership over last year, many going over their goals. We are proud of their hard work and know that all of our units continue to work hard to bring in membership. One technique that worked for three different counties was to hold a community-wide picnic on a patriotic holiday and have members wearing their Legion family apparel promoting the advantages of being part of such a great organization. Another success story was when the unit began inviting nonmembers to help with specific service activities such as making no sew blankets for the local Veterans Medical Center. This meaningful participation brought them several new members. Our units are also finding that our focus on a culture of goodwill and our focus on making sure members don’t feel left out at meetings and functions has been advantageous in recruiting and retaining. One unit reported that it also brought back four members who had not renewed because they felt unwanted. Bring a friend invitations have also been working for several units.

The hurdles we have faced have been the same hurdles we have faced in previous years, hurdles which are difficult to surmount. We are an aging population, and when an older member dies, she often takes her daughters and granddaughters because their interest and involvement is severely diminished without their matriarch in the lead. We also face the fact that the older population is living on a limited income as dues rise. Some units have addressed this problem by supplementing or paying the dues for older members. Another hurdle occurs at the opposite end of the age group. The younger mothers are so busy with their jobs and their children’s activities that they have no time for a service organization. Some units have babysitting during the meetings or set up play areas at the back of the meeting room. We must encourage the younger members if we wish to have a future.

There are other hurdles which, although they don’t impact the final numbers, they need to be addressed. We have membership chairmen who hold membership until they have a large number, or they don’t send forms before a certain date, such as November. There are also members who feel they don’t have to pay until the end of the calendar year. We have spoken with these people to no avail. We will keep trying. Some units are even difficult to reach because they either haven’t updated their leadership information or they don’t meet. We have tried several ways to fix this with limited success.

You have been very serious about enhancing membership, and I’m sure we will plan to continue to be because this organization needs to be around for another hundred years to help our veterans and our communities.

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Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation / Service to VeteransLinda S. Tome, Chairman

The Department of New York does not skip a beat when it comes to assisting and enhancing the lives of veterans and their families! Over 6,000 members logged more than 63,000 hours (valued at over $1.5M) volunteering their time to over 29,500 veterans and their families and with monetary donations or in-kind donations total over $300,000.

NATIONAL VETERANS CREATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL – Department of New York was honored by hosting the hospitality room at the event this year! 2,600 people went in and out of the Hospitality Room which was manned by 179 volunteers throughout the week volunteering 985.75 hours. Volunteers were told that if there was a veteran sitting by themselves to go talk to them; don’t let them sit by themselves! We learned a lot just talking with those single veterans – not just about their art or craft, but also about themselves.

Six units participated in a stand down this year. Several said that they didn’t realize how many veterans would be attending and wished they had more information for them. Another member heard there was going to be a stand down, had never participated before and called the number on the flyer to see if there was anything she could do to help out. Next thing she knew they gave her a table. She gathered ALA & Legion pamphlets, asked other ALA members to participate and also asked some Legion members to volunteer to provide benefit information for veterans. The team networked with other organizations and provided them AL/ALA information as well as a pamphlet for our Warrior Family Assistance program (almost $8000 awarded to 7 veterans this year). There were over 190 veterans (28 females) with the major reason for attending being 1) clothing, 2) housing, 3) vet’s benefits. What went well? They provided information about who we are, what we do and why they matter. There were many benefits that these veterans did not know we offered or could help them with. New members were also signed up! What would they do differently? Plan earlier and

ask a VSO to attend, have more information available for female veterans and get donations for health/hygiene items to hand out.

Very little was reported on the Caregiver Support Program. We did have two counties indicate that five members contacted the Caregiver Support Program Support Line or referred other veterans’ family members to the support line. One of the VAMCs has an event to thank all caregivers with an activity, massage therapists, etc.

Making/delivering meals, crocheting quilts, visiting and transporting veterans to their doctor appointments, etc. are some of our typical assistance our members provide for their Service to Veterans hour bars. However, we have one member who became obsessed to refurbish a gravestone that was covered with black/green moss where she could not read a veteran’s name. She received donations from local merchants for cleaning supplies to begin cleaning the gravestones. Our member finished her first gravestone and it felt so good to give this veteran an identity that she has cleaned 36 headstones volunteering almost 600 hours since last summer. Now that’s commitment!

For a VA&R/Service to Veterans Project in one county they have a project entitled Splashes of Hope: Operation Strengthen that creates art to transform spaces, enrich environments and facilitate healing.  The county had fundraisers to have volunteers from the organization hand paint a ceiling tile to be placed over patients’ beds at the Northport VAMC. They will also be painting a mural to be hung at Long Island State Veterans Home @ Stony Brook and a mural of Giants Stadium for Northport VAMC.  What a wonderful project that the County fundraises for!

At the VA Veterans’ Homes they were busy with Veterans’ Day celebrations, Christmas Gift Shop, decorating cookies for various holidays, decorating Easter Bonnet Hats, Mother’s day flower arrangements, casino day and Bingo! The residents all look forward to our volunteers working their programs!

Project Suds is alive and well in another county in New York State!  Every Thursday, unit members and the owner of a laundromat donate their time to help vets do their wash once a week.

Honor Flight veterans (287 served) are treated with “honor”. Our members celebrated them at a dinner – transported them in limos, had celebratory bands, had elementary school students write thank you letters to open on their flight and had very special “welcome homes” with the entire community, bands, color guards, banners and balloons! Thirty eight members spent 259 hours serving 256 veterans donating $4,633 honoring these veterans.

There were several units who hosted baby showers for homeless female veterans as well as for the VA. Over $4,000 was spent on gifts for the newborns as well as nightgowns/robes for the vets!

Christmas Gift Shop was busy! Over 1,500 veterans were served - 293 members volunteered 2,631 hours preparing and distributing gifts. Over $41,000 was donated to the Christmas Gift Shop from units.

We’ve had many units Adopt a Veteran and their families! They’ve provided holiday meals, provided gifts at Christmas and for birthdays and have sent cards and balloons for other holidays. We’ve had units donate clothing and household goods to local homeless shelters. One unit donated money toward a service dog for a veteran family’s autistic son, donated money to PTSD organizations and donated 10 iPods to veterans at the VAMC.

In addition to the above dollars raised/donated this year, over $20,000 was raised from our annual “They Marched for Us–Let’s Walk for Them” walkathon. This is a joint event that the ALA and SAL sponsor together with donations going to our veterans and/or families!

All our members make a tremendous contribution to the success of this organization and I can’t thank them enough for their time, skills and compassion that they show every day to and for our veterans.

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Children and YouthMary Farley, Chairman

The Department of New York did an exceptional job this year. They emphasized protecting, caring for and supporting our Children & Youth, particularly those of veterans and military families. They fulfilled their promise of being community leaders and responsible American citizens while caring for military families.

Our members reported some outstanding projects, one-unit member, with the help of a local school reported holding “The Great Bedtime Pajama Drive”. Students were asked to bring in a new pair of pajamas that was then delivered to a shelter in the neighborhood. The drive took place for 2 weeks and over 300 pairs of pajamas were donated. Scholastic Books

even donated a book for each pair of pajamas donated. The principal of the school was so impressed, he thanked the students by allowing them the wear their pajamas to school one day.

Many Units held Christmas Parties and Breakfast with Santa, having fun cooking and wrapping gifts of toys and candy for children in local schools and shelters. Units donated clothing and household items to Big Brother/Big Sisters, clothing, diapers, toys and baby furniture to Momma’s House, donated to Toys for Tots and toys to Military Children. Members sent gifts and goodies to a small U.S. Base in Poland where the base puts on a Christmas party for the local children from the small town. Units donated hats, gloves, scarfs, and blankets for needy or homeless children. Hundreds of baby blankets were made by Auxiliary Members and donated to local hospitals for needy families. Halloween Safety workshops were given with local police departments as special guests, Halloween parties were held for special needs children, general education and homeless children. Members reported giving their time and money to our American Legion Auxiliary projects such as, Health and Safety Program, Child Welfare Foundation, and continued to fill their pigs and purchase Josh and Friends.

The Star-Spangled Kids program for grades Kindergarten thru 6th grade, were conducted where the Constitution was explained, flag etiquette, how to conduct a proper flag ceremony, materials were presented through age appropriate hands on activities. One unit adopted a military family to ensure that the children did not go without when their father was deployed, and another unit adopted a needy family from their local church’s outreach ministry. Units collected shampoos/conditioners/soaps for battered women/children’s shelters. Units also held fundraisers to send children to summer camp gave scholarships and packed backpacks with school supplies to distribute to military families.

We had 2,842 members volunteer for the various Children & Youth projects this year. Members donated 17,739 hours of their time valued at $175,704 and gave $69,193 in direct aid to children while serving 23,332 kids, a total of $618,065 was raised for all children, not just military children. Our Department President Patricia Hennessy’s project this year is “Our Military Kids” and so far, she has raised $42,903.00.

I am very proud of the work that the Department of New York members are doing for our children & youth.

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AmericanismSharon Beeke, Chairman

My main focus this year has been on the Americanism Essay Contest for both the Senior Members and our school children. I had hoped to receive more essays from both groups but I am happy with the ones I did receive. It was a hard choice in picking the winner for the school age children. So many Units have promoted Americanism through the Americanism Essay Contest with the 7th District leading the Eastern Division for the amount of Senior Americanism Essays submitted but very few essays where submitted from the schools. This was disappointing. We did have four winners from: 7th District: Class I - Cassie Seacat - Ely Fagan Unit # 1151, Monroe County - Class 1/ Jenna Rosenkrans - John P. Eaton Unit # 746, Steuben County, Class 1/1 Sarah Burnett, Wolcott Unit #881, Wayne County and 3rd District: Class IV Jane Leader, North Albany Unit #1610, Rensselaer County. Congratulations to all of these winners! I met with National Americanism Chairman by our Eastern Division Americanism Chairman, Sandy Seacat, to go over the essays and this was a great learning experience.

One Unit purchased a Flag for a WWII Veteran, as his was unserviceable-they disposed of the Flag and replaced the new one for him. Another Unit attended an Americanism Dinner this year in which the guest speaker was a former Secretary of the Army and NY Congressmen. Other speakers were from NYS Congress, Assemblyman, District Attorney and a State Legislator from their area. What a wonderful way to get out the word on Americanism to the public. Another Unit joins with the Legion Family, from their Post Home, and each year they go to Washington, DC for Wreaths across America.

Many Units visited schools in their area to promote Americanism. They spoke to students and give presentations on Flag Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and some of the Units brought Veterans along with them on these presentations. They have laid wreaths and placed flags on the Veterans graves . Members taught Flag Etiquette to Boy and Girls Scout troops, by teaching them how to properly fold the Flag.

A progressive dinner was held by the Livingston County Legion Family. For the children in attendance there was an Americanism Trivia game at each stop. The winners could win monetary gifts and we know how much children like that! The children were thrilled. This dinner was held to start a scholarship fund in memory of Staff Sergeant Alexandria Gleason-Morrow, United States Air Force. Alexandrea was a duel member of The American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary. She lost her life when a bomb that was being loaded onto a plane became unattached and fell killing her. So not

only is this a fundraiser for the scholarship but they managed to incorporate Americanism into the event. Naturalization Ceremonies are attended by Auxiliary members. At these ceremonies they hand out Flag Etiquette booklet and small

American Flags to each new citizen and also to the children in attendance. This is usually a twice a month event and sometimes three times a month.

Empire Girls State is one of the premier Americanism programs and we had 360 young ladies from across our state in attendance. The citizens learned how to make a poppy and pocket flags. I hope that they had a wonderful time learning the many different ways to promote Americanism once they got back home. The Citizens participated in Flag raising and lowering ceremonies each day and each County participated in their own ceremony. I guided them as to the proper way to fold the Flag, what the meaning of each stripe on the Flag and many other things each day.

5,430 Total numbers of volunteers for all projects 63,218.5 Total number of hours for all projects 63,977 Total number served $152,604.59 Total dollar value of the volunteer hours $475.667.21 Total dollar value of goods and materials $628,217 .80 Grand Total

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Auxiliary Emergency Fund Janice Lee, Chairman

The Auxiliary Emergency Fund was established in 1969 from a grant from the estate of an Auxiliary member Helen Colby Small. It has been maintained through the years by the generous donations from our auxiliary members. This program is designed to help auxiliary members in the time of need. I want to a say “Thank You” to everyone who has made a donations. .

The financial statement from Department shows the donations for the year for the AEF Program has reached $12,244. Please continue sending your donations because this is a year-round program where “Members help Members!” I want to thank you; you have helped an auxiliary sister in her time of need.

Thank you, President Pat for this appointment. It has been a great honor and privilege to serve on this committee.

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ChaplainNancy Babis, Chairman

I am reporting a record number of deaths this year – 845 as of June 1, 2018. It truly saddens me to think our Auxiliary has lost so many great members.

In addition to the above, I would like to report the following 1872 Invocations and Benedictions 710 Grace Cards 182 Memorial Services, 6 Counties included Juniors Other courtesies to the bereaved totaled $ 4206 493 Funerals attended by 1920 members 43 grave markers placed costing $ 1004.00 593 members visited ill members for a total of 2637 hours, $63,660 value volunteer time. Gold Star mothers: 15 dues paid, 103 cards, 24 gifts sent for a total cost of $ 1350 Reflections were used by 163 Chaplains throughout the year. $25 was donated to National Chaplain to be used in the completion of a quilt for our National President. 18 prayers for President Pat’s book. Thank you all who contributed.

A total of $16,549 memorial donations were sent to Fire departments, Hospices, Missions, Churches, multiple pet organizations, Honor flight, VA hospitals, and Libraries. Donations totaling $775.00 have been received in the Department office. In closing, I would like to thank you for your prayers and support this year. For the Love of our Legion Family, In God’s name.

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Community ServiceBonnie St. Hilaire, Chairman

What a wonderful opportunity it was for me and our great organization to see what we have done to make dreams come true for our veterans, their families and cancer victims that are in much need of our support.

Our communities keep getting better each time we lend a helping hand and letting people know that our organization is there for them at all times.

We fed the homeless, donated clothing, had barbeques, and donated to military kids, the Comfort House. There was also service to the aging, colon cancer research, blood banks, lap robe donations and Rosewell Park Historical quilt donations.

I am proud to say that this has been an amazing year for every one of our volunteers that have done so much to make our communities a better place to live.

Number of volunteers- 27,057Number of Hours-7,861,900 Value-$125,021 Amount of donations $191,781.91

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Constitution and By-LawsJoan Caccamo, Chairman

The Constitution and By-Laws Committee of the Department of New York has focused this Auxiliary year on making sure Units, Counties, and Districts have reviewed and updated, as necessary, their governing documents. Over 135 Units, Counties and Districts have updated their Constitution and By-Laws and their Standing Rules. In addition over 25 Units Constitution and By-Laws have been returned to Units for corrections/review and action. On a side note…many Units are “waking up”! Earlier this year a Unit submitted their Constitution and By-Laws for review/approval. I was amazed to learn that they had not reviewed or updated their Constitution and By-Laws since 1998. Since that finding I have encouraged ALL Units to review their Constitution and By-Laws not just because of the upcoming dues increase but to make sure they are operating and carrying out the programs properly. I am happy to report that many Units listened.

Unit and County Presidents as well as Constitution and By-Law Chairmen have tried to make learning about the Auxiliary’s Constitution and By-Laws a fun and memorable experience. They have been challenging members on their knowledge by asking questions and quizzing members at their meetings. Members have enjoyed this process and have gained much knowledge.

In 2017 an Ad Hoc Committee to the Constitution and By-Laws Committee was formed to review the Department of New York’s Constitution and By-Laws to ensure it was in a format consistent with the corresponding National Organization documents. This year, although not completed, the Ad Hoc Committee accomplished much. The goal now of this Department is to have its Constitution and By-Laws aligned with the National by the end, if not sooner, of the 2019 Administrative year.

The Department of New York has available to all members a copy of the Department Constitution and By-Laws, District Rules, County Rules and Unit Constitution and By-Laws via a download on its website. Members are encouraged to download, review and use these documents, as well as those on the National website.

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ResolutionsSusan Britton, Member

Each member has it within their power to create a "resolution" to bring about change. Sometimes, rules were created and now are outdated or no longer carry certain merit. The only way to change something is to create the change in a positive manner with a resolution.

A unit, county or district can create and propose a resolution that, if passed, can be brought to the Department convention floor for a vote.

How do you bring about this change? First things first, a sample resolution is posted on the national website (www.alaforveterans.org) that can be used as a guideline to create your resolution.

A resolution is just a formal, written motion. A well written resolution will enable members to better understand what you are trying to do and therefore enable them to make a more informed decision.

A resolution has 2 separate sections...the "Whereas" clauses and the "Resolved” clause/clauses. The "Whereas" clauses are the main reasons suggesting why a motion should be adopted. It is suggested to use only 3-5 whereas clauses to support the motion. Any more than that tends to confuse and complicate the discussion.

The "Resolved" clause/clauses tell the specifics and the proposed wording for the change. Each section should be kept simple, but specific.

Writing a resolution is easier than you might think, so don't be afraid to ask for help in order to initiate a change.

Even though Resolutions is a non-reporting committee, I have had the opportunity to assist with numerous questions from units and members who sought advice on whether or not to submit a resolution for review and approval. Questions are always welcome.

As of the writing of this report, no resolutions (other than courtesy) have been submitted for consideration at this Department Convention.

Thank you to the representatives from each of our 10 Districts who will serve and represent our members at the Resolutions Committee meeting held here in convention city on Wednesday, July 18th.

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EducationEllen Randle, Chairman

This past year has seen an enormous amount of work by our Units and Counties. Many educational opportunities were given to needy children, Military kids, and physically challenged children. Over the year I have heard from 55 of the 62 counties in our state, with many activities that varied greatly. We can all benefit from each other’s ideas. In the spring, I received 330 applications for the 14 Department Scholarships and 31 applications for the 3 National Scholarships. Judging these applications was difficult, but with the help of my judges, I’m very happy to announce that 2 of our National applications were winners. This information is available on the National website. We then went on to judge the Department Scholarship Applications and again with difficulty we came up with the 14 best, although I can tell you that each application told the story of amazing kids, their teachers, and their mentors. In this past year our units reported scholarships awarded in the amount of $58,100.00, bringing the total amount of scholarships awarded in New York State to $72,100.00.

Units celebrated American Education week with certificates and gifts. There were 29 Veterans in the Classroom programs. These included teaching flag etiquette and flag folding. Many discussed their service. Of course many box tops and Campbell Soup labels were donated to schools. Units held essay contests and awarded certificates and monetary awards to the winners. The largest amount of donations was for School Supplies. Every school district has children in of these items. Flags were distributed for Flag Day, Fundraisers were held to raise money to donate for book purchases and for scholarships.

Following are the activity and financial statistics from our counties: # of Volunteers 1,163 # of Volunteer Hours 3,879.5 # Served 5,784 Value of Volunteer Hours $93,651.00 Goods & Materials $63,908.00 Grand Total $215,659.19

There are many resources listing various activities that can be done under Education and our members followed many of them. Listing all would make this report gigantic! Please continue promoting education and scholarship in our communities and encouraging and teaching our leaders of the future.

My thanks to all the Units and Counties – I have learned from you.

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American Legion Auxiliary, Empire Girls StateLucille Mozzillo, Chairman

Donna Dorminey, 1st Vice, Jennifer Farley, 2nd Vice

The 77th session of Empire Girls State marked another great year! Our team appreciates all of the hard work that you do at a unit, county, and district level to make this program happen! Our team of volunteers worked hard during the session and we were extremely impressed by all of the great citizens that made this session so memorable.

This week could have not have gone smoother! From Check in, all the way through to the end of the week we couldn’t have asked for better weather, more energy, or a more amazing group of citizens. Every year the dynamics of the group of girls varies, the challenges of the program shift, and content tweaked as we work hard to provide a high quality program that reflects the changes and needs. This year we could not be more proud of the year round effort of our entire American Legion Auxiliary Family as it exceeded all of our expectations in helping us prepare, promote, select high quality citizens, and host yet another amazing ALA Empire Girls State program. We survived hours of caucus elections, bill writing, voting, singing, decorating and showing our patriotism to create the amazing 2018 Girls State. This year the girls were extremely helpful, thoughtful and productive. You all choose amazing young ladies.

2018 American Legion Auxiliary Empire Girls State Program Highlights: The service project was well received this year. The citizens created promotional video clips for Our Military Kids Department President Patricia Hennessy presented on different programs of the American Legion Auxiliary every

day. Department Americanism Chairman Sharon Beeke presented on a different Americanism topic every day. The citizens participated in daily flag ceremonies, a flag disposal and POW/MIA Ceremony. Our media team sent out press releases on citizens elected as our top elected officials throughout the week. Alumnae Association membership renewals and registrations kicked off at the ALA Empire Girls State session

and are now available for the 2018-2019 year.

2018 American Legion Auxiliary Empire Girls State Elected Officials

Governor – Cierra Hinkson, Richmond CountyLt. Governor – Aleiyah Saunders, Kings County

Comptroller – Cora Woloson, Ontario CountyAttorney General - Ana Marie Oliynyk, Kings County

Girls Nation Senators

Nontsikelelo Mathwasa, Suffolk CountyParis Miller, Niagara County

Samsung Scholarship finalist

Sabrina Piccirillo-Stosser, Westchester County

Thank you to all the behind the scene volunteers, (you know who you are!) Sr. Counselors, Jr. Counselors, Administrative Staff, SUNY Brockport Staff for making the 2018 Empire Girls State Session one to remember! It has been our honor to serve this great program and we can’t wait to see what lies ahead!

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Finance ReportJuanita Lochner, Chairman

Patricia Dyer & Cathleen MacInnes, Members

The same as the National Organization, the Department Finance Committee is charged with the oversight of the general financial policy of our organization upon ratification of the Department Executive Committee and the preparation of the annual budget and supervision of the expenditures under the budget.

The 2017-2018 Finance Committee has met several times to review our obligations and I am pleased to tell you that the finances of the Department of New York are fiscally sound. At each meeting we spent a lot of time ensuring that our

budget goals were met and all is in order. We have been assured by the Macaluso Wealth Management Group, The Bonadio Group and Dalle Accounting that all of our records are in good financial order with no problems noted.

The counties and units that shared their information with me reported that they are also overseeing the financial policies and are working within their budgets.

During the 2017-2018 administration: We received $40,000.00 from the American Legion Mountain Camp Trust which was invested in the Veterans

Affairs and Rehabilitation Program for future use in aid to our Veterans. All Units have met their mandatory obligations. 990’s have been filed and unit data forms have been received. Calendar sales were fantastic with 933 calendars being sold. The Department of New York was awarded $1,000.00 from the National Organization because we had no Units

with zero paid members as of October 31, 2017. “Way to go” Secretary Barbara and Office Staff Caitlin and Nick. There have been office improvements and the staff works very efficiently to see to the needs of our Units.

Our Department Treasurer Caroline has been very helpful in assisting us with everything she has been asked. Dalle Accounting assured us that Valerie Parkis, the director of Accounting Services with Dalle Accounting would be able to step in and take Caroline’s place if she was unable to come in for a while.

With the help of Finance members, Pat Dyer and Cathleen MacInnes, Department Secretary Barbara, Vice-Presidents, Marie, Linda, Mary and office staff Carolyn, Caitlin and Nick we have had a very successful year. Thank you to all of you for your input and sharing your knowledge.

Thank You Department President Pat for this appointment.FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

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HistorianLori McFarland, Chairman

On July 22nd 2017 I was installed as the Third District President at the Department of New York Annual Convention in Syracuse New York. The Installation will be something I will never forget because I was being installed along with another member from my District and County as well as Unit which was Patricia Hennessey who was being installed as Department President. Immediately following installation I attended my first Executive Committee meeting, at that meeting I was appointed as Department Historian.

Next on August 18th I and along with many of our Department members were off for Reno Nevada for the National Convention were our members attended meetings caucuses, dinners, lunches, voted on the Convention floor and heard speech by President Trump.

In September I started my County Visitations throughout the Third District with District Vice President Lorna and from time to time my Secretary Holly

Department Visitation in Schoharie County. Lorna and I met up with County President Cheryl Lee, at her post and proceeded to go to lunch. After lunch The County proceeded with normal County Meeting, and I spoke about History and promoted our Presidents Project.

On Friday December 1st. 2017 off for an Executive meeting at the Marriott Hotel in Albany. The District Presidents (Purple People Eaters) took President Pat out for dinner that evening. Saturday was a full day of presentations and discussions. Saturday evening we all enjoyed a holiday party hosted by President Pat in her suite. Sunday morning it was back to business as usual, and by noon we were saying good byes, and I was on my way home to sleep.

In January 2018 started the beginning of our County Visitation and Mid-Winter Conference. Visitation started on January 12th, straight through to January 18th. First Visitation was Green County, and then from there it was Ulster, then Sullivan, Columbia, Schoharie, Albany, then Rensselaer on the 18 th. On that date Thursday evening was the last Visitation dinner which was at my Post in Rensselaer County at Melvin Roads Post which was honored with their own Department President attending. It was a great evening, during the cocktails the Yankee Doodle Band entertained us with their music, then a fabulous meal was served, and the speeches were great. That entire week was Visitation then from there we headed back to the Marriott for another busy weekend.

I can honestly say that with all the Department Visitation Dinners I attended, the speeches and the meals were the best, and I have to say, President Pat always had us all ended with laughter.

Our Leadership seminar which was presented Karen St. Hilaire It was very informative, and one of the Guest Speakers was Albany County Sheriff Gregg Apple, who spoke on some of the programs he started in the Jail to help drug addicted Veterans.

April 5th 2018 attended Executive Committee meeting which was held at the Marriot Hotel in Albany. The 10 District Vice Presidents were invited to attend the meeting also. The meetings on Saturday and Sunday were extremely informative and productive. We all got together on Saturday evening in President Pats suite for snacks and drinks, and all of the District Presidents and Vice Presidents once again entertained the committee

In May we all attended the Join Legion Family Homecoming at the Desmond, it was great a time. On Friday President Pat and Commander Rena and Detachment Bill had a small cocktail party, and I assisted them with bartending and Past District President Deborah Alcombright assisted as well since we are from Rensselaer County, we also assisted them again on Saturday afternoon prior to the dinner, the dinner was great, and their theme was a Hawaiian Luo there was dancing and laughter all night, it was a wonder night.

I have to say that this year was special for me because of President Pat being from my County and Unit, it meant so much for me to be her District President I will never forget it.

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Junior ActivitiesCheryl Kollander, Chairman

I received reports from 56 counties for Juniors this year. Our juniors were active in every aspect of the American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and their communities across the state.

The basic breakdown of their activities is as follows: Worked on programs directly to Veterans – 124 juniors for 957 hours; Participated in parades & Veterans ceremonies – 92 juniors for 133 hours; Helped with Post or Auxiliary activities – 245 juniors for 1318 hours; Helped with community service projects – 105 juniors for 386 hours; Attended Junior meetings – 47 juniors for 182 hours; Fund raisers and donations – 30 juniors for 64 hours; National security & projects to active service men/women – 10 juniors for 32 hours. Unfortunately, I received reports for 505 juniors for 3641 hours with no breakdown as to what they actually did. Activities reported included helping hand out poppies, participating in Memorial Day and Veterans Day parades and services, making Christmas and birthday cards for nursing homes and VA medical centers. They helped in many community projects and fund raisers. Many Juniors held there own meetings. Some counties and districts elected Junior officers. Some detailed reports included: Making 150 Blue star banners for Empire Girls State, making 250 Buffalo shaped chocolate suckers to hand out to Veterans at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival held in Buffalo, 100 rocks were painted to be given away at a breast cancer fundraiser, helped fill mop buckets with personal hygiene products and cleaning products for the Jump start program at the Bath VA. Eight juniors participated in the Junior patch program.

Totals are 1162 members for 6793 hours equaling $163,983.02. Donations made were $5,895.50.

There were 26 juniors attending mid winter conference. One hundred and fifty back packs were stuffed with $1000.00 worth of school supplies and taken to Fort Drum for the children of deployed military. The supplies were divided between kindergarten and twelfth grade. They also did a “Paint your Pinkie Blue” as an anti-bullying awareness project. Money raised was given to Department President, Pat, for her project. All 26 juniors participated in the Military Kids table in the senior session on Saturday morning and the POW/MIA ceremony at the Department luncheon. Honorary Junior Department of New York officers were elected during the junior meeting. For the first time, at mid winter, they were installed in the senior session on Saturday. Eastern Division National Vice President, Karyn Porempski, was the installing officer. The 2018 – 2019 Honorary Junior Department of New York officers are: President, MacKayla McDaniels, Vice President, Julie Posey, Secretary, Savanna Clark, Treasurer, Morgan Jones, Chaplain MacKenzie McDaniels, Sgt at Arms, Cassie Seacat and Historian, Jewel Wollaber.

LeadershipKaren St. Hilaire, Chairman

Leaders throughout the Department of New York have continued to make a positive impact on our members. I have received an average of 58/62 (92%) reports from counties throughout this administrative year.

There have been 127 Unit Leadership Training Sessions, 68 County Leadership Training Sessions, and 2 District Training sessions held. In addition, one District organized a monthly Family Leadership Workshop. These workshops were held at various locations throughout the District and were open to members of Auxiliary, Legion, Sons and Riders.

One county began a traveling gavel, which increased attendance at monthly meetings. Another county purchased ALA Guide Books, which were sold at Fall Conference. Also many counties and units copied and shared materials from Mid-Winter Conference, as well as Department and National websites.

Training sessions covered various topics including, how to conduct meetings, proper protocol, parliamentary procedures, officer duties, where and what to report, how to set and attain goals, how to effectively communicate with others, use of social media, how to recruit and retain members, how to select EGS Candidates, how to conduct election of officers. Training sessions also promoted enrollment in Legion Family College as well as National ALA Academy. 5 Senior members have completed and passed the ALA Senior Auxiliary Basics, A course on our History and Legacy. 175 Units and 45 counties reported obtaining and sharing Leadership material obtained from Department of NY and National ALA websites.

Reports indicated that many members have attended, Department Visitations, Fall Conferences, Spring Conferences, Department and National Convention. 17 Senior members and 1 Junior member from NY attended the Eastern Division Mission Training held in Hartford, CT on October 20 -21, 2018. Save the date! 2018-2019 National ALA Mission Training will be held in Albany, NY on September 29, 2018. I encourage all members to attend.

Department of NY has promoted a stellar list of Certified Leadership Instructors over the past few years; however, at the December Executive meeting the voting members passed a motion to dispense with this program. Many members felt that only CLI could present leadership sessions, when in fact there many qualified leaders amongst our members. The Department President sent members who were previously certified a letter explaining the cessation of the program and the removal of the title. The Department of New York will continue to hold the annual Mid-Winter Leadership Conference. Future conferences may include an extra day for members to enroll in more extensive leadership presentations.

The Department of New York held Mid-Winter Leadership Conference January 19-20, 2018 at the Marriott in Albany. Our National President was unable to attend, so Eastern Division National Vice President Karyn Porempski was our guest of honor. We had 356 Senior Members and 26 Juniors from across NY in attendance.

As Department Leadership Chairman, I collaborated with the Department Junior Activities Chairman to include the Juniors in a portion of the Senior program. This collaboration include the Juniors and 2 Sons members presenting the Military Child’s Table ceremony at beginning of Saturdays Program. The Juniors returned to hear guest speakers. Eastern

Division National Vice-President Karyn Porempski and Department President Patricia Hennessey then installed the Honorary Junior Department Officers. The Juniors also assisted Department Adjutant James Casey with POW/MIA Ceremony.

Leadership and mentoring of new leaders remains an important mission of the Department of New York. I was very impressed by the reports from Leadership Chairman submitted this year. The Department of NY will continue to aim high in our development and mentorship of great leaders.

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LegislativeAmy McEathron, Chairman

This past year has been very busy across New York and we showed the power, the voice of the American Legion Family.

All entities were busy with meetings, breakfast meetings, dinners and appointments with their elected officials. Many members of the auxiliary utilized social media with getting letters and further comments to the elected officials. I had several members sign up to receive the Legislative Update, The Action Alerts and followed national on Facebook.

We had many whom attended the Washington DC conference. What an experience this was. This year the Auxiliary joined in with the American Legion as the ALA did not have a separate conference. This was an honor to see how the entire National Organization Together advocates for our Veterans which is so heartwarming. I was able to make appointments and followed the Legion Family to some of their appointments as well. We focused on not to allow commercializing the VA Centers, additional counseling to be hired in the VA facilities, No homeless Veterans in New York State and property tax exemptions for Veterans.

Shortly after that, I attended with the Legion Family at Albany Hill Day. This year, there was a Legislative Breakfast were the elected officials attended and there was a great speaker. Dr. Frank Burk executive director of research for PTSD. There is a great increase in Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and epidemic among our Nations Heroes. An estimated 8% of Americans – 24.4 million people – have PTS at any given time.

Some things to highlight are: Senator Schumer announced the VA has finalized 137 acres land acquisition for building a Western NY National

Veterans Cemetery. The study for homeless Veterans in the state of New York has passed the assembly, delivered to the Senate and

is now in the hands of Veterans, Homeland and Security and Military Affairs. Personal confidential information received from Veterans and or family members of Veterans received services

from New York State will be notified of services available to them. This was passed by assembly, delivered to the senate and referred to Veterans, Homeland and Security and Military Affairs.

The Blue Water Navy Act AR-299 just got passed on May 8, 2018.

The numbers are amazing and they are as follows: Local elected officials, 57 phone calls, 41 emails, 18 personal visits. State elected officials, 27 phone calls, 78 emails, 7 personal visits. National elected officials, 17 phone calls, 91 emails, 7 personal visits. Post family members, 21 post family functions, 19 post events elected officials attended. Subscriptions: 27 to The Dispatch, 17 Aux. Legislative Newsletter, 18 Legion newsletters and 13 to

www.capwiz.com/legion. Events, 18 “Meet the Candidate”, 21 Town Hall Meetings, 19 attended Hill Day in Albany, 11 attended

Washington DC., 7 responses from officials The hours were 1041 hours.

I personally want to say THANK YOU to everyone who participated in reports, award entries and I want everyone to continue to fight for our Veterans. Without the Auxiliary and Legion Family this would be very hard for them. I now see and acknowledge the need for this committee and the importance. Please consider being a part and most importantly having a powerful voice for the Love of our Veterans.

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National SecurityCecile Davey, Chairman

We are once more at the close of another year for the National Security Committee. At this time I would sincerely like to say thank you to all of our units in the sixty-two counties of our Department of New York.

It is because of you our grass root members that keep our Organization so viable in working the many parts of this Committee The grand total of volunteer hours this Auxiliary Year for this Committee was $463,653. Your dedication to our active duty military, veterans and our communities is what makes this program the success that it is. Please also remember that we no longer can count our value of coupons, however, we do compute the number of hours that you so generously donate to this endeavor.

I also need to inform you that we are very lucky to have so many dedicated people in Washington D.C. that have personnel on the other side of the world who are still finding remains of our POW’s and MIA military that are still trying to come home.

I also wish at this time to say thank you to President Pat for the opportunity to serve our organization working this Committee as I have learned so much and to wish her the best in her future endeavors in our American Legion Auxiliary.

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Past President’s ParleyDeborah Kryczkowski, Chairman

The members of the Past Presidents Parley across the state of New York reported various activities being done under this committee as we strive to serve our Female Veterans. Our 62 counties together comprise 510 hardworking and strong Units. Our Past Presidents are honored to be able to volunteer and give wholehearted support to our Female Veterans. Our women veterans live in many of our 13 VA Medical Centers or 5 State run Nursing Homes for veterans as well as shut-ins.

Our activities provided to our Female veterans include holiday baskets, afghans, quilts, lap robes, hats, scarves, clothing, pizza, bingo and holiday parties. Throughout the year we donated personal items and products, paid dues, we visited, read, decorated their rooms, we’ve sponsored and hosted, many card parties, luncheons and transported our Female Veterans to and from appointments as needed.

We have served 1,215 Female Veterans in a plethora of ways each one just as important as the next. As we continued to support our ladies throughout the year it was important they receive the quality support and a dignified life that they so dearly deserve.

A total of 1,077.5 hours have been volunteered under this committee with a value of $25,385.90. We present a $1,000 scholarship to our Honorary Past Junior President, we also present two scholarships of $1,000 each to two students pursuing careers in the medical field.

There are 1,612 members that paid their Past Presidents Parley dues this past year, for a total of $6,448 as of May 2018.

We are proud to announce we had 17 nominations for Department “Member of the Year”. Our selection committee chose an amazing volunteer, who puts in a lot of time and effort, just an exceptional person, and her name was presented to National for further consideration. The Department of New York is honored to submit a candidate for “Servicewomen of The Year” an outstanding nomination to be proud of.

Thank you Past Presidents’ for assisting, contributing and supporting our Female Veterans. God Bless our Veterans.

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Poppy/Poppy PosterVivian Brame-Garnder, Chairman

Activity over the last 12 months has been busy. By the first report in December 2017, ALA units had ordered 222,350 poppies directly from the Department. The monies directed to this were quoted $49,989.45.

For the month of November, I received ALA unit reports on figures that were collected since May of 2017.The units reported the following information: Poppies ordered 73,000, Poppies distributed 46,071, Cost to the units ordering poppies reported as $13,841, The donations collected was reported as $38.606.19. The number of volunteers that worked was 749, giving the Value of Volunteer hours worked as $70,775.74

Units reported using collected funds to help veterans that had high medical costs, or with home improvements like the installation of ramps into their home. Many units bought Christmas presents for veterans in the VA Nursing homes. Some used funds to send Christmas packages to the troops overseas. The units also reported during this time frame, that they used newspaper, TV, radio and Face book to promote the Poppy program.

At the end of March, I had received 29 transmittals from Department that requested poppy orders from the units throughout the state. By this time, the running total for poppies that were ordered amounted to 362,650.

Reporting the total income at $75,353.00 expenses amounted to $36,944.67, leaving a net income of $38,408.33. Units continued to report that the monies they raised were used for veterans and military families in need. Used to treat some veterans to a dinner and one unit use it to give veterans a day at the marina and a boat ride. This was not a very active time frame for the units. Those that used funds indicated that they donated to various veteran programs; Jump Start, Clear Path for Veterans, Wounded Warriors, Creative Arts Festival, etc.

For May 2018, units reported that they had paid $8,542 for poppies, and that they had raised $16,650.57. Units reported that there were 14,500 poppies ordered during this time frame, and that 9850 poppies were Distributed. Volunteers totals 215 and the hours they worked was 689.75 hours, providing a value amount of $16,650.57

A total of 458 students participated in the Poster program. $165 was handed out in prizes to the local school students. There were 3 Miss Poppy contestants. Many units made felt poppies.

Donations were used as follows: oncology programs for veterans, scholarships, overseas packages. Medical bills, one for a vet whose house burned down, Gift Shops and much more.

Once again the Poppy Program was supported through Posters, radio, TV, and special Proclamation Days for the Poppy.The total hours volunteered for the year 3908. Total Value $31,085.00. Number of veterans served 5000. Total poppies distributed 63,974, with $26,906.27 raised in donations for the last year. 33 Veterans made poppies.

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Public RelationsMichelle M. LeJeune, Chairman

YOU, the membership of this Great State of New York, American Legion Auxiliary can be proud of the great work accomplished in Public Relations, “OUR BIG N’ BOLD, 2017-2018 YEAR”!

You supported Our Veterans’, Their Families, Children & Youth, & Our Communities to the fullest, having spread the word of “WHAT WE DO & WHY WE MATTER”!

There has been 1,000’s of News/Editorial Articles, Unit Newsletters, Press Releases, E-Bulletin’s, Millions of Photo’s, hundreds of thousands of TV and Radio hours, Face Book pages have tripled and Twitter and Instagram are on the rise. Social Media has become the tool of the century. The American Legion Auxiliary has jumped on board in doing so by, “TOOTING OUR OWN HORNS”, “LOUD n’ PROUD”.

Public Relations Chairperson’s across the state of New York have been using the public Relations tool kit and the American Legion Auxiliary Branding Guide.

Mid-Winter conference held in Albany in January 2018 was a great success.

The Public Relations poster contest had a record number of entries this year and all were beautifully displayed. Each poster depicted, “Serving Our Veteran’s and Their Families”. Displays danced with great photo’s “BOLD n’ BIG” titles. Shining our colors of Red, White and Blue with Poppies upon Poppies as in display of Flanders’s Field. It was very hard to choose a winner as they were all winners in the eyes of the membership present. The contest winner was Joanne Valletta from 1st district, Unit # 156 from City Island, NY. Joanne’s poster illustrated the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary to its finest. Her Unit has submitted a narrative description and the photo of her with her poster from Mid-winter conference and forwarded on to the American Legion Auxiliary Magazine, “We hope to see it published”.

Also at Mid-Winter conference held in Albany, January 2018 I provided a presentation on “Social Media and its Proper Use”. Social Media is a global phenomenon in all markets regardless of social or cultural development. It’s greatly due to the use of the internet. Like anything else in the world it has advantages & disadvantages… I say let’s concentrate on the advantages; it all comes down to how well you present your programs of the American Legion Auxiliary. It’s a free form of information and knowledge all at a “CLICK” of a button. For every “LIKE”, on Face Book, it rolls over 10 fold to more “LIKES”, that is a lot of publicizing for just that one original “CLICK” of time. When doing so remember to always be professional when displaying the Auxiliary Emblem, Our American Flag and Poppies making sure to always be a conscious of our positive image.

Reporting for the year 2017-2018 was on an average of 90% each reporting period. But overall each of the 62 counties reported at least once and then some. I was cross eyed reviewing the many reports with Newspaper Articles, Newsletters, TV & Radio hours, and Social Media posts. Units, districts and counties across the State of New York are all doing wonderful work for our veteran’s. Publicizing all there events such as; Bake & Craft Sales, Turkey Raffles, Benefit dinners, Children’s Halloween, Christmas, & Easter events, Jr. Activities, Empire Girls State, Blood Drives, Youth Hero Awards, Community Service event’s and so much more.

With all that said “I can’t believe that the 2017-2018 American Legion Auxiliary year is coming to a close”. I feel as though I just got my feet wet and know so much more than I did a year ago at this time. I have met some of the most wonderful Women of this organization, those I will call friends for the remained of time. I Thank President Pat for this committee, I hope that I served our great state of New York, the American Legion Auxiliary proudly, while “TOOTING YOUR HORN”

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Warrior Family Assistance

Mary Anne Casadei, Chairman

It has been a great year for the Warrior Family Assistance Program. The Committee has been busy reviewing applications and making recommendations. Through this program we have a unique opportunity to look into the lives of the brave men and women who serve our Country. Sometimes it’s not so pretty. President Lincoln made the promise “to care for him who shall have born the battle, and for his widow and orphan.” WFA does this.

The American Legion Auxiliary’s main purpose is to support and enhance the lives of our Veterans. We do this in many ways but, WFA goes one step further.

Our members have stayed in contact with those who have received WFA grants giving them advice, encouragement, providing transportation, groceries and information about local services. Units have gone the extra mile by providing additional funds, groceries and gift cards.

We helped our veterans with rent, utilities, car repairs, dental, doctors, tuition, groceries and more. We made a huge difference in the lives of our Veterans and their families. To date we have issued seven grants for a total of $7,902.45.

This program could not be possible if it was not for the generosity of our Units and members. Numerous fundraisers were held and to date $4512.25 have been received in donations.

This year we updated the brochure and the guidelines for this program. Thank you to our Unit members who graciously volunteered their time in the interview process. These ladies do a great job. One team traveled to a VA Facility and conducted their interview at the facility.

Units have worked tirelessly to publicize the WFA Program. Placing brochures in VA Facilities, with Veteran Service Officers, in medical clinics, publicizing in newsletters, newspapers and attending Legion meetings. Good Job Ladies!

It has been an honor to serve on this committee and what an eye opener. Thank you, Madam President Pat, for allowing me to serve our Veterans and our Department. It has been a pleasure.

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American Legion Family CollegeTerri D. Wallace, Assistant

Our 2018 Session of the American Legion Family College was a positive experience for everyone involved. Our goal to provide our students with a basic understanding of the American Legion Family programs was achieved. Our content was delivered through training, small group discussions, large and small group activities led by a knowledgeable faculty representing The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of The American Legion and The American Legion Riders.

The second combined American Legion Family College, Department of New York session was held June 1-3, 2018 at the SUNY Campus in Morrisville, New York. Even though the campus had some renovations taking place, the location and facilities provided a nice backdrop to the weekend learning experience. Next year we will be sure that the number of golf carts available for transport to the dining hall and back will be proportionate to the number of students in need.

Of the 102 students originally registered, 94 were able to attend and that included 22 American Legion Auxiliary members. Those 22 Auxiliary members represented 6 Districts. We were excited to have our Department President, Department 1st Vice President and our Department Chaplain attend the 2018 session. Our ALA Assistant Dean participated as well as a student to be able to provide feedback on all classes to the Team for planning for next year.

Our 2018 session offered 15 different topics related to The American Legion Family and our programs. Instruction began on Friday afternoon with an Overview of The American Legion Riders and The Sons of the American Legion along with Americanism and Children & Youth. This was all before dinner! After our delicious steak dinner, students were divided into 10 groups to rotate through 9 more topics. They attended 2 classes on Friday evening before receiving a Challenge Scenario that their group would work on developing a solution or response to be presented on Sunday morning before graduation. In addition to the topics already stated, the remaining curriculum topics included: American Legion Auxiliary Programs, Constitution & By-Laws, Marketing & Public Relations, Online Membership Tools, Membership, Veterans Service Officer, Officer Duties, Duties of the Adjutant/Secretary, and Legislative. Each student was provided with a flash drive with electronic copies of several guides, additional handouts, resources downloaded from the National websites, etc.

Each student was also provided a hard copy of each instructors PowerPoint presentations for notetaking and reference. These were provided at registration.

Saturday was a full day with 8 sessions including a “Study Hall” to work on their Challenge Scenario. The day ended with a large group presentation on Protocols & Procedures and Mentoring. After dinner, students loaded buses headed to the Oriskany Falls American Legion Post for an evening of relaxation and networking. It was a needed break before the Sunday morning group presentations that were given as Committee Reports during a Joint Post Family Meeting. The weekend of learning and networking culminated in a Graduation Ceremony that included The Department of New York American Legion Commander, American Legion Auxiliary President and The Sons of The American Legion Detachment Commander presenting the student with their Graduation Certificate and having their photo taken together, as well as the Dean presenting them with an American Legion College pin. All students also were given the opportunity to join the Alumni Association.

The American Legion Family College Team was led by Dean Tim Collmer, Assistant Dean Dan Morea and Assistant Dean Terri Wallace. The topics were presented with 18 Faculty Instructors, including Terri Wallace, Kathy Cubit and Deborah Herrmann from the American Legion Auxiliary.

Our sincere thanks to the entire American Legion Family College Team and all Faculty Instructors who have embraced and are continuing to strive for the American Legion Family concept. Thank you to Madame President Pat for her support and her involvement in attending the Family College program. Thank you to the ALA Alumnae for your dedication and support with the Shelby Sobolowski Memorial Scholarship Award. This is a very special program that we hope many of you will consider becoming involved in, regardless if you have previously attended our American Legion Auxiliary College. So make your plans now to attend our 2019 American Legion Family College May 31st, June 1st and June 2nd!