Programs
Unit Committees/Programs The National Organization has the following National Committees. Most Departments follow this plan of committee organization. It is advised that each Unit facilitate the coordination of these committees with Department and National programs. An annual Plan of Work is published and used as a guideline to facilitate the mission, goals and best practices of each program.
Americanism (2011 Chair: Shirley Mitchell) The Mission is to promote and recognize outstanding achievement in patriotism and citizenship and to instill these values in our youth. Americanism work is educational and works with the youth, the adult and the community. All matters pertaining to the flag or patriotic education are rightly classified as Americanism activities.
Auxiliary Emergency Fund The Mission is to raise funds for and awareness of the Auxiliary Emergency fund, to promote knowledge about the program, to disseminate information to members about the application process, and to assist members in need. The Emergency Fund provides eligible members with temporary assistance with food, shelter, educational training, and financial crisis.
Cavalcade of Memories The Mission is to collect, chronicle, and preserve the history of the American Legion Auxiliary through photographs, documents, personal mementoes and other artifacts. In 1972 the American Legion Auxiliary established a Cavalcade of Memories museum at National Headquarters to display memorabilia of the Auxiliary’s history.
Children and Youth The Mission of Children and Youth Committee is to work collaboratively with the American Legion to direct and sponsor programs and services that provide care and protection for our nation’s children, especially those of our military and Veterans.
Community Service The Mission is to work in cooperation with the American Legion to direct and sponsor programs and services that provide care and protection for our nation’s children, especially those of our military and Veterans.
Education The Mission is to promote quality education for children and adults through classroom activities, literacy programs, scholarship promotion and support of education beyond high school.
Finance The Mission is to oversee the general finance policy of the organization and monitor the annual budget and its expenditures.
Girls State The Mission is to provide outstanding, unique and coveted educational opportunity to the young women of our nation that instills the basic ideals and principles of the American government through the Girls State and Girls Nation citizenship programs. The program is a non-partisan, non-political attempt to teach and inculcate in the youth of America a love of God and country. A national committee to direct the program was created by the 1946 National Convention.
Junior Activities The Mission is to promote volunteerism through community based programs and services that involve Veterans and to teach the principles of loyalty to God and country, justice, freedom, and democracy to our young members. Junior membership is for those under age eighteen and whose activities are supervised by Senior membership.
Leadership The Mission is to develop and prepare knowledgeable and capable leaders to carry on the growth and success of the Auxiliary by promoting activities and resources that educate, motivate and mentor members of all ages on all levels and phases of our programs. A comprehensive leadership course has been developed in each of the Departments.
Legislative The Mission is to advocate open communication with local, state and nationally elected officials, to ensure our members are aware of and informed on issues central to the support and wellbeing of our Veterans and their families and to promote grass-roots levels of advocacy and action.
Membership The Mission is to implement a comprehensive membership campaign designed to identify best practices to aid Departments and Units in retaining, increasing and reaching their membership goals and to broaden public recognition of the American Legion Auxiliary, its mission and programs. Membership is the foundation on which the program of the American Legion Auxiliary is built, and the success or failure of that program depends largely on how well that foundation is laid.
National Security The Mission is to maintain and promote a strong national defense by providing the necessary means to strengthen our military families and prepare our citizenry for response to natural and man-made disasters.
Past President’s Parley The Mission of the Past President’s Parley is to recognize and honor female Veterans and to utilize the experience and knowledge of past Auxiliary leaders for the training and encouragement of future Auxiliary leaders. It is through the Past President’s Parley that the women who have served as Unit, Department, and National President can continue in active service with the Auxiliary.
Poppy The Mission is to educate our membership and the public concerning Poppy’s significance and the financial benefit realized by our nation’s Veterans as a result of distribution. The poppy is an emblem of sacrifice. The disabled men and women in hospitals, and their families, are assisted by poppy funds.
Poppy Facts:
· In the spring of 1919, amidst complete devastation, the poppies bloomed in abundance on the battlefields of France where so many of our men had fallen in battle.
· The flower is the memorial flower of the American Legion Auxiliary, adopted at its organizing convention in Kansas City in October 1921.
· The American Legion was the first national organization to adopt the poppy as its memorial flower, having taken this action at the National Convention in Cleveland, September 27-29, 1920.
· The memorial poppies are made of red crepe paper, by hand, by disabled Veterans.
Public Relations The Mission is to work collaboratively with all levels of the organization to create, implement, and support a proactive communication network that advances the objectives and programs of the American Legion Auxiliary and positively projects our image and programs to the general public. It is a matter of establishing and maintaining goodwill. It covers every kind of communication from personal contact in casual conversation, to speakers, to carefully prepared news releases for the media.
Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation (2011 Chair: Tracy Hopkins) The mission is to initiate, sponsor and participate in programs and services that assist and enhance the lives of Veterans and their families; ensuring restoration and/or transition to normally functioning lives-physically, mentally, socially and vocationally. It includes bringing physical comfort and mental cheer to Veterans in hospitals, aiding the disabled to earn money for the support of themselves and their families, and helping them to reestablish themselves in life.