AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY DEPARTMENT OF WISCONSIN

P.O. Box 140, Portage WI 53901

Website www.amlegionauxwi.org

I’m a member. Now what?

Each of our 379 units across Wisconsin typically pick activities that best serve the needs and interests of their members and communities. There is no limit as to how you can contribute. If a does not participate in a particular activity you are interested in, you can always suggest that they start or contact the Department Program Chairman to see how you can contribute on an individual level.

***This is not an all-inclusive list. A unit may do other activities in support of our veterans, their families, and the community. ***

Volunteers are always needed and welcomed at any of the VA facilities:

Kenosha Care Facility, Kenosha WI

Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison WI

Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis MN

Oscar G Johnson VA Medical Center, Iron Mountain MI

VA Great Lakes Health Care System, Tomah WI

Wisconsin Veterans Home, Chippewa Falls WI

Wisconsin Veterans Home, King WI

Wisconsin Veterans Home, Union Grove WI

Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee WI

PROGRAMS AND SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

AUXILIARY EMERGENCY FUND

AMERICANISM

Promote the Americanism Essay Contest	Promote “Get Out to Vote” and encourage others to vote
Know basic flag etiquette and share with others	Present flags to schools, churches, etc.
Recognize those exhibiting flag protocol	Attend/conduct/sponsor a flag retirement ceremony
Say the Pledge of Allegiance	Wear the American Legion Family brand
Fold Pocket Flags and send to soldiers serving abroad	Dress in red, white, and blue on patriotic holidays
Fly the American flag and encourage family, friends, and neighbors to fly the flag	Sing the national anthem at a meeting, sporting event, or any public gathering
Sign up at www.legion.org to receive notifications on when to display the flag at half-staff	Demonstrate respect for the flag (stand, remove hat and hand salute) at public events
Write a letter to the editor reminding all the significance of patriotic holidays	Plan/participate in patriotic holiday events (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veterans Day, etc.)
Fly the American flag and encourage family, friends, and neighbors to fly the flag

ALA BADGER GIRLS STATE -visit the ALA BGS website www.alabgs.org, or contact the chairman listed above.

BOWLING –Encourage/participate in putting together a bowling team of four members to compete in the annual 9-Pin bowling tournament in April.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Read to children at the local library	Volunteer at local schools
Organize a Halloween party (in place of door-to-door activity)	School supply drives for area schools
Check with local reserve centers to see if they have anyone deployed. IF yes, offer to assist with family gatherings that are held while the family members are deployed. Offer to babysit for parents that are now "single parents" while their family member is deployed.	Some units have partnered with schools to provided sacks of food for students to take home so they have something nutritious to eat over the weekend for those who rely on the free and reduced lunch meals during the week.
Organize a Star-Spangled-Kids event	Give a GI Josh to the child of a deployed service member
Volunteer at a Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) camp program	Wear purple on April 15 in honor of Purple UP! For Military Kids day.
Contact your local churches, homeless shelters and food pantries to identify homeless veterans’ children and offer your services as an ALA member	Contact the voluntary services representatives at the VAMC and offer to work with them to help meet the needs of children of homeless veterans.
Plan a special celebration of military children during April in honor of the Month of the Military Child	Volunteer at a Family Readiness Group event where KDH2 “I’m a Hero 2” buttons/stickers can be distributed

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Help with or donate for a Blood Drive	Donate to a Food Pantry/ Volunteer at a food pantry
Help with Elementary Vision testing	Donate to your favorite charity
Donate tray favors to Meals on Wheels	Donate to needy families in your community
Plant and/or take care of flowers at parks	Serve meals at a Care or Senior Center
Bake cake and/or help serve lunch for a funeral	Donate to the Spirit of Christmas
Serve coffee for Court House Anniversary	Donate your time to Meals on Wheels
Plant and take care of flowers at Church	Hold monthly card parties
Recycle Items

EDUCATION

Award Unit Scholarships	Donate to Past Presidents Scholarship
Promote the Legion Oratorical Contest	Donate to M. Louise Wilson Educational Loan Fund
Donate resources that children or teachers may need	Participate in the Give 10 to Education program
Save Box Tops for Education and Labels for Education and send them to local schools	Send cards to all local school staff (i.e., bus drivers, custodians, etc.) thanking them for the work they do.

For a complete listing of all scholarships offered visit https://www.amlegionauxwi.org/scholarships

JUNIOR ACTIVITIES

Work the patch program	Help with and participate in any other program activities listed
Paint your pinky RED during Poppy Month (May)	Enter the Poppy Poster contest
Provide peer support for military children	Be a Miss or Junior Miss Poppy
Participate in the Oratorical contest	Enter the Americanism Essay Contest
Fold Pocket Flags and send to deployed troops	Enter The American Legion shooting sports program
Participate in military/patriotic observance days	Help the unit plan some kid friendly activities and crafts
Do YouTube videos to let others know about the Auxiliary and what junior members do.	Adopt a school, share the Story of the Poppy and Flanders Field poem
Tweet and use social media to inform friends of Auxiliary activities	Support American Legion Baseball by attending their games and volunteering

LEADERSHIP

Participate in leadership workshop	Take National ALA Correspondence Course
Protocol- learn proper procedures for meeting structure	Instill a culture of goodwill
Learn about Why, Where and When the World’s largest Women’s Patriotic Organization was formed	Become an informed and educated member of the Auxiliary

LEGISLATIVE

Attend Salute to the Legislators	Visit your legislator
Attend a Town Hall meeting	Write a letter to the editor advocating for veterans
Promote “Get Out to Vote”	Get a subscription to the Dispatch
Monitor legislative Facebook pages, Department and National websites for legislative updates	Actively post The American Legion’s legislative priorities on social media
Subscribe to the Legion’s Legislative Action Alerts to receive notification when they call on all Legion Family members to take immediate action on a topic.	Work with your Unit and Post to host a “meet the Candidate” night. Make veterans/military issues the primary topic for discussion.

MEMBERSHIP

Always wear an ALA emblem; pin, shirt, hat, patch, etc.	Set up a table at community fairs with displays of activities related to ALA
Invite ladies to assist with an activity prior to becoming a member	Invite community members to Legion Family celebrations where veterans are honored/recognized for their service
Attend local school activities where veterans are recognized for their service	Offer transportation to members that no longer drive or drive at night
Brainstorm with members to identify ways to work the ALA mission - try new things periodically	Carpool to training events such as ALA in the Know and Mission Training as well as District/Department/National events
Be welcoming, kind and respectful to members of all ages and backgrounds.	Exhibit Service Not Self in all activities and interaction with others.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Send letters, cards, and packages to soldiers	Donate and/or assist at a local blood drive
Make and send Camo quilts	Create and send Toasty Toes to the soldiers
Buy Girl Scout cookies and send to soldiers	Shop for and prepare care packages
Donate to Legion’s Project Cares	Donate to Operation Air Time
Make a monetary donation to the Support Military Families Fund – ALA Department of Wisconsin	Coupon clipping to be sent to overseas commissaries for locations to send coupons: www.grocerysavingtips.com/expiredgrocerycoupons.htm
USO of Wisconsin – volunteer, provide in-kind or monetary donations: www.usowisconsin.org click on Volunteer or Support for more information	Provide free hotel rooms or airline tickets to the families of wounded, injured, and ill service members who are undergoing treatment at authorized medical centers when a Fisher House is not available. www.fisherhouse.org/ways-to-give/

POPPY

Distribute poppies	Create poppy wreaths for distribution
Sponsor entries for Department Poppy Craft	Be a Miss or Junior Miss Poppy
Display poppy posters in the community	Host event to award poppy prizes
Create poppy education display in library, community or senior center, or window of a business	Enter the Poppy Poster contest
Work with local government to have Poppy Proclamation in local newspapers	Adopt a school, share the Story of the Poppy and Flanders Field poem

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Build relationships with your local media and political figures.	Promote Auxiliary events on your personal social media accounts.
Wear your officially branded ALA apparel, ALA pins and/or “Honoring Their Service” button.	Write a letter to the editor and/or News Release for patriotic holidays and events.
Distribute ALA brochures and posters throughout your community at libraries, job fairs, medical facilities and Post homes.	Add photos with information about what is happening, especially on social media

VA & R - SERVICE TO VETERANS

Volunteer at any VA facility or Camp American Legion	Participate in Stand Downs and Veteran Job Fairs
Give gifts and cards to Veterans in nursing homes	Create and donate items from pattern book
Record veteran histories	Help elderly veterans at home
Provide transportation	Raise/donate money for the Veterans Creative Arts Festival
Volunteer to call Bingo or serve snacks at Veteran’s facility	Make tray favors for nursing homes on patriotic holidays
Write thank you notes for Honor Flight Mail Call	Send Off/Welcome Home Honor Flight Veterans
Help with Buddy Baskets	Quilters: Get involved in Quilts of Honor
Encourage Unit to Adopt a Vet if not already doing so	Check out Wisconsin’s Camo Quilts program
Get involved in the Elizabeth Dole Foundation: www.elizabethdolefoundation.org	Get involved in the VA Caregiver Support Program: www.caregiver.va.gov/
Support Hoptel, Fisher House, and Boudicca House monetarily or with requested donations

Simply thank a Vet! It means a lot!

CHRISTMAS GIFT SHOP

HOMELESS WOMEN VETERANS –

The American Legion Auxiliary offers assistance in the form of grants to homeless or at-risk of homeless women veterans and their children. For the most current application please contact Pat Smith or the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Wisconsin Headquarters at deptsec@amlegionauxwi.org / (608) 745-0124

This is a one-time only assistance grants for Wisconsin female veterans who have been honorable discharged. Requests for assistance require sponsorship by a veterans’ benefit representative, verification of honorably discharged veteran status (DD214) and a completed financial worksheet. Woman veterans receiving assistance from Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary must be participating in a support program within the Federal or State VA system and will need to include the name and location of the Veterans Affairs program she is participating in along with the name of the counselor/supervisor the woman Veteran is working with. National Guard members who may still be serving but have never served “active duty” are eligible to apply. See grant application for complete rules and requirements.