August new year New Leadership!

This year let's

Focus on Family

Department of Iowa Programs Workshop

Department President

Hello American Legion Family

Thank you all so much for putting your trust in me to lead Iowa’s American Legion Auxiliary in this coming year. I have been with the ALA since 2008. I have held offices on every level. I have been married to Brian for 42 years. We have three children and 10 grandchildren, and 1 dog. JD is our furbaby, if you can call a 150 lbs. Rottweiler a baby.

My theme this year is Focus on Family and I am proud to say that Legion Commander Don and S.A.L. Commander Glen and myself will be having a joint FAMILY project of AFIL. My goal is to truly m this make this organization a family. One where we can come to gether on every level, celebrating the successes and the struggles.

I hope to have fun this year and to put IOWA on top.

I have already had fun this year beginning with helping to serve our National guard at Camp Dodge at the USO and attending the Sidney Rodeo. Both were good times with good people.

Keep those invites coming.

Let’s have a great, fun year as a family!***

Judy Ring

Americanism

My name is Rosemary Lancaster I am a member of the Oskaloosa Unit in 5th District

What does Americanism mean to you? My Plan of Action page highlights all the things that fall under this program. I will be highlighting something each month. Did you know we have a coloring book? It's called American the beautiful and can be found --------> Color!

Rosemary Lancaster

Auxiliary Emergency Fund

As we Focus On Family this year, I’d like to share a portion of my comments from the recent Department Programs Workshop, with a suggestion that we try to direct a few more resources towards taking care of our own - - those in our ALA family who need us.

Last fiscal year (year ending September 2025), the ALA awarded over $529,000 in AEF grants — it was the most impactful year on record. Whether it’s from fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or crises like medical emergencies or job loss, behind each AEF grant there is a humble member making a plea for help due to circumstances beyond their control.

The need for emergency assistance continues to grow as natural disasters become more frequent and economic instability and the need for caregiving continue to affect families nationwide. The coming year will bring its own unique set of challenges, and AEF exists for these moments. The application process is straightforward, and grants are awarded quickly so members can focus on rebuilding and recovery. (AEF applications are reviewed weekly.)

In addition to your unit’s regular contribution, I challenged each unit to come up with a fun way to find an additional $50 to donate to AEF this year. A few suggestions you might consider are: each member forgoing one specialty coffee and dropping that money into a Starbuck’s cup instead; hosting a special event, or setting aside part of the proceeds from a fundraiser. Whatever you choose, have fun and take comfort in knowing we are helping our own sisters and brothers as we Focus on Family.

Sharon Luellin

BE THE ONE

Hello, my name is Tammi Quinlan. I am a member of Unit 296 in Deep River, and I am the Be The One Chairman for President Judy this year.

This subject is dark and very sad, but we must talk about it to make a difference.

I was so glad to hear that the ALA added Be The One to their programs last year. Because, let’s face it, this is our issue too. We are the spouses, mothers and daughters of people that were once servicemembers and now Veterans. We are members of the American Legion Auxiliary. “We are to participate in and contribute to the accomplishments of the aims and purposes of the American Legion.” The Legion aims to make a difference in servicemember’s and Veteran’s lives and let them know they are not alone, so that is our job as well.

How Can You Help The Mission?

BE THE ONE TO ASK: Reach out to Veterans and their families. Ask how they are doing – really ask. It could be the most important question you ever ask.

BE THE ONE TO LISTEN: Listen without judgment. Let them know they are not alone. Sometimes, just being there makes all the difference.

BE THE ONE TO ACT: Help connect Veterans to support. Encourage them to seek help. Know the resources. Act until help is received.

How Can You Support The Mission?

You can take the free online training course. That course can be found at The American Legion.org, scroll down to the second article (Be The One), click on it and the very first thing you will see is either “learn more” or “sign up now.

You can work together with your Legion and Squadrons and create a community event to bring awareness in your community.

You can go the betheone.org\resources for materials to print and hand out to the community.

You can fundraise to support the Iowa Be The One training. They make the in-person training available and travel the state to do so.

WHY DO YOU WAN TO BE INVOLVED WITH BE THE ONE?

Because the number the Legion uses is 22 servicemembers and Veterans commit suicide daily. The Legion even knows this number is probably low.

I have done research on this number and one independent researcher found that the number could be as high as 60 per day. In my opinion, one servicemember or Veteran suicide is too many.

So, let’s make a difference and choose to Be The One.

If you know someone in crisis: Call 988 and press 1

Tammi Quinlan

Children & Youth

Hello fellow members and mentors, yes mentors. I am your new Children and Youth Chairman and I am here to help you support our youth! I hope that you take the time to include your younger members of not only your unit but your community as well.

Remember, we should all be mentors to our children and youth. The best way children learn is through others doing something and including them, as they want to repeat the same task. So mentoring our youth is a great way to get them involved.

There are so many ways for us to involve children. School is getting ready to start, and there are many opportunities for you. Make the effort to connect with schools and find out if you can have some time to explain some of the programs we offer to the teachers, and maybe they will invite you into their classroom to promote one of the programs. This is a good time to host a program where you can engage children and help them learn about our organization and programs as well.

Maybe you start with the lower grades, where you talk about the flag or the poppy. Give them coloring pages that can be displayed or made into cards. Think of the pride they will have showing off their work or handing that card to a veteran family member or neighbor they know.

Help us spread the word, and bring smiles to those learning about our great organization.

Good luck mentors, and watch for more ideas to come.

Helen Hildebrand

Community Service

Hi, I’m Elaine Brookins from N. E. Iowa, Howard County, Cresco. First I’d like to Thank President Judy for believing in me to be on her Team as the Community Service Chairman. Now it’s up to all of you ALA members to help me out.Let’s kick off August with School Supplies Collections. Have a Drop Off Box at your local grocery or discount store or have a collection at your next meeting.The Teachers appreciate everything from crayons and colored pencils to kleenex and disinfectant wipes.

September has many Stand Downs across Iowa.The Veterans really appreciate the many donations being clothing (mens and womens), toiletries, household goods and food. Contact your area representative. In my area, it’s Golden Hawk, covering S. E. Minnesota and North Iowa, September 26th. Mason City, Ia.

Till Next….Thank You! rebrookins423@yahoo.com OR

1017 8th.St.E. Cresco,Ia.52136

Elaine Brookins

Education

The American Legion Auxiliary Education Program is about more than supporting schools—it's about investing in students, educators, and communities throughout the year. One of our goals this year is to encourage Units to plan ahead by building relationships with local schools, churches, guidance counselors, and community organizations early, while also helping spread the word about the many scholarships available through the Auxiliary.

This year, we're also celebrating America's 250th Anniversary by encouraging Units to put a new spin on the traditional Give 10 to Education project with a 250 for 250 challenge. Whether you collect 250 school supply items or donate 10 of 25 different classroom essentials, every contribution helps support local teachers and students.

Be sure to check out the attached QR code for a month-by-month breakdown of Education event ideas and important dates to help your Unit stay involved all year long.

Thank you,

Cheyenne McDaniel

Finance

Hello American Legion Auxiliary Family! The Department Convention was a wonderful weekend connecting with old friends and meeting new ones! President Judy’s theme is “Focus on Family” and that is how the finance team will work to keep the department finances running like a families budget: cutting expenses and watching for increased income opportunities.

How will we focus on this? Membership is critical to keep our organization afloat. Remember to renew, retain and rejoin all members Please remit your membership payments once you receive them instead of holding on to them. Keep your units active in your community so people will want to join our family.

Calling all Gold Club members, it’s time to send in your dues to the department office. If you would like to join the Gold Club, all you need to do is send in a check for $50.00 earmarked to Gold Club to the department office. These funds are used to help purchase items for the department office and help alleviate those expenses. Dues are due by October 20, 2026.

Obligations will be coming to your units soon. Please pay these immediately and at least before October 20th. Unit, County and District obligations are mandatory so please do not make any adjustments to the amount due. Obligations help support our veterans-since veterans are our family,obligation money is a priority to keep our values in focus.

Poppy orders are due by October 20, 2026. Poppy kits are available at the Department Office if you are interested in making your own. This is a great unit project opportunity!

Did You Know? On the ALA Department's website iowaala.org, in the top right hand corner, is a DONATE button. By clicking on the button, a form will appear for Donations from Unit, County, District, and Individuals for the VA facilities, ALA programs, AEF, scholarships, the department of Iowa and many more options. Take a look and see how convenient your donations can be by just one click.

Let’s start the 2026-2027 year off with a bang and mark these important dates on your calendar. Don’t be late!

Patti Rolf, Ann Crawford, Jamie Barker

Girls State

Iowa Girls State is one of the premier programs sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary and was started by a dream of four women 81 years ago in hopes of teaching young women about the political process. Girls State is a “learn by doing” program, which takes the attendees through the entire political process. The week set for June 13-18, 2027, at Drake University is jam packed from dawn to dusk and promises to be 5 days the citizens will never forget! The fee is $500.00 per girl. Breakdown of $450.00 from the unit and $50.00 from the attendee, so she has skin in the program. We are hoping this will help with dropouts close to the date and the total number of attendees stays up.

The first obstacle to cover if your unit or post are considering participating in sending an attendee to the 2027 session is to vote on it. Normally during the month of September or October, you can make the decision later, that is not cut into stone, however the reserving of a spot on Camp Wise is as there is a deadline of Dec. 31^st, 2026. My recommendation is if you are considering and you have not decided, go into Camp Wise and reserve a spot or two. You can always go back in and edit the number. Please DO NOT create a new account, use the previous ID and password.

By referring to the Department Bluebook for guidelines- Girls State Citizens must be between their junior and senior year of high school, either public, private, or home-schooled and are selected by a local American Legion Auxiliary Unit or post. As this is an American Legion Auxiliary sponsored program, only an auxiliary unit or American Legion post if there is not a unit in the community may sponsor a citizen and pay the fee. However, you can ask other organizations to help defray the expense. Just so the money comes from the American Legion Family.

As this year progresses, my hope is to stay one step ahead of the progression of the schedule for Girls State, if you have a question ask me via email, (sloancafe@aol.com), text (712-420-0272), or call- I will say I will not answer if your number is not in my contacts, so please leave a message and I will return your call. Remember, Girls State can only survive with participation from you. For more information, ask me.

With the support of the American Legion Family sending citizens, the staff of the Girls State program volunteering and the citizens attending, this program will continue to grow and flourish. Please help us keep Girls State 2027 staying alive for years to come for all members.

Sharing of Service,

Bev C Iowa Girls State Director

Michele Long -Assistant Director

Governing Documents

Hello Everyone. I hope you are ready to start a new year of ALA Service. Your Governing Documents Committee is made up of all of the Iowa Past Department Presidents. We receive suggested changes to the Blue Book (Constitution, By Laws and Standing Rules) and the Policy Manual (Details on how we get things done, and Information Section).

Each Unit is required to purchase one copy of the Blue Book. That is an obligation which you must pay. The Blue Book changes every year, so it is important that you have the latest and greatest information it contains.

Now is the time to make sure your Unit Governing Documents are up to date and not in conflict with the Department Governing Documents. Several changes were made at the recent Department Convention.

If you have any questions, please contact me. My contact details are in the Blue Book Information Section.

Sandy Deacon

Junior Activities

My name is Jan Carlton and I will be the Junior Activities chair for 2026-27.

Penelope Elmer, Penny is the Honorary Dept. President for this year. She has some wonderful projects planned for this year.

Our Junior Auxiliary members are our future and we need to engage, educate and entertain. We want to retain these young adult members into becoming senior members.

I would like our junior members to concentrate on the patch program this year. If you submit a request direct to National, please forward the Junior’s name and patch earned. Or you can send me the forms direct for submission. My contact information is in the PEP.

Please forward pictures of Juniors participating in your unit, county or district events.

Jan Carlton

Junior Camp

This year’s Junior Camp will be “Focus on Family” our Department President’s theme. We have numerous new ideas for a fun-packed week at camp. All the counselors are planning activities to keep our juniors busy all day long.

Junior Camp will be held June 6 – 11, 2027 at the Christian Conference Center, southeast of Newton. Registration will be $350.00 and you can register online on the ALA website.

Anyone with ideas for presentations or programs, please contact Liberty Smith or myself.

Doris Jackson, Junior Camp Director

Leadership

Happy August! Where in the world did this year go? Welcome to each of you to President Judy’s “Focus on Family” year.

The National website is the best place to find information on everything ALA! Obviously!

Mission Training dates for 2026-2027 have been announced and we have 2 super close to us. November 14th in Omaha, NE and Jan 30 in Springfield, IL. Grab a couple of your unit or district members and participate in one of them. If you are really up for an adventure like some of our members, you can check out Albany, Atlanta or Las Vegas.

If you have questions at any time feel free to reach out. The Department of Iowa has some amazing mentors willing to help you learn.

Dawn Aberle

Legislative

Hello American Legion Family!

I am Stacy Bane. I am retired, after almost 30 years of barbering in State Center, Iowa. I qualify for membership in the Auxiliary through my dad, Ken Butler/Army, in country/Korea and my late husband, Robert (Bob) Bane/Navy, in country/Vietnam. I have been a member for 21 years.

I have not been politically active...I vote...so I went straight to the ialegion.org/legislative website. I'm ashamed to say I had not gone there before. I was surprised to find all the information I was looking for, so easily!

There is a list of the issues the Legion Family supports and where they stand in the House and Senate, on this site. I signed up for the Legion's monthly e-newsletter and their Legislative Action Alerts. These alerts let you know when action is needed, by members, to contact your representatives at the state and national levels, and you can find the list of the representatives for your area. They have a form email that goes directly to them by hitting the 'submit' button. It couldn't be any easier.

I will keep you updated on the current issues each month, and I hope you will do the same by sharing them with members at your monthly meetings.

The American Legion Auxiliary is a very important part of the Legion Family. We support our veterans in so many ways and this is one more way to show them they are important and we are behind them.

Right now the Legion is asking everyone to contact our representatives and urge them to support and pass H.R. 9237/S. 4744, the Take Care of American Veterans Act. If this does not pass, our veterans will lose critical funding they have earned and depend on!

PLEASE go to ialegion.org/legislative and check it out.

Let me know when members from your unit/county sign up for the e-newsletter, the alerts, and if you email, call or write to your representatives.

Stacy Bane

Marketing

When people hear the word marketing, it can sound a little corporate or "sales-y." But marketing is really much simpler than that. It's how we tell our story, build relationships, attract support, and encourage people to get involved.

For the American Legion Auxiliary, marketing isn't about selling a product. It's about raising awareness, growing membership, increasing community engagement, and strengthening the support we provide to veterans, military families, and youth.

This year, our marketing efforts will focus on three key goals:

Increase Awareness – Helping more people understand who we are and the impact we make. Example: Social Media
Support Fundraising Efforts – Creating opportunities to support the programs and services that matter most.
Increase Sponsorships – Building partnerships with businesses and community organizations to strengthen our mission.

One thing I want everyone to remember is that marketing is not just one committee's responsibility. Marketing touches everything we do. Every event, program, project, and community connection helps tell the story of the American Legion Auxiliary.

With Judy's theme of Family Focus, we're committed to working together and supporting one another as one American Legion Family.

Our marketing team is developing plans and resources to help us achieve these goals. Information will be shared with District Presidents and discussed during our visits to the Fall District Conferences.

As plans are finalized, we'll be counting on each of you to help bring these ideas to life in your districts and communities. This is a family effort. When we support one another and work together, there's nothing we can't accomplish for our veterans, military families, and youth.

Blessings!

Teresa Shaw, Carole Mooney, Kristi Bridges, Judy Ring, Dawn Aberle and Crystal Wright

Membership

Hello Iowa American Legion Auxiliary members! My name is Teresa Kramer, Farley Unit 656, and I am your new Chairman for Membership. I am honored to serve with Judy and happy to have Rebecca Teed and Penny Claire serve with me to help build a strong Iowa membership. We want to help in any way so that you can get all your renewals, replace those members that are deceased, and build your Unit by 4 more new members. I know that this will be a difficult task, but please know that our team is here to help. I will be the main contact for any questions in 1st, 2nd, and 4th Districts, Rebecca will help in 3rd, 5th, and 6th District, and Penny will take care of 7th, 8th, and 9th District. I strongly encourage all Unit Membership Chairpersons to sign up with ALAMIS. This will save your Unit money and you will have direct information to pay Unit dues. My team and I plan on attending all the District Fall Conferences. We hope to see all you in attendance

Theresa Kramer, Rebecca Teed, Penny Clair

National Security

Welcome to a new year and a fresh start!

The National Security program is so important with our troops placed all around the globe and many in harms way.

This program empowers members to strengthen our nation through education, preparedness, volunteerism, and unwavering support of those who protect America’s freedoms.

I look forward to working alongside all of you to honor those who serve.

I’m excited to share some ideas with you all on how we can participate in meaningful ways and make a positive impact in our communities.

Jacki Bolen

Poppies

Hi there!

My name is Rhonda Russell and I am from the Bedford Unit #164 and I will be the poppy chair for this year. I look forward to helping you in this position. I hope to have essay, poster and non-traditional contests at Mid Winter open to all ages so be on the lookout for more information on these and I am excited to see what all we can create.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns!!!

Rhonda Russell

Public Relations

Hello fellow Auxiliary Members! Are you ready for another great year serving our veterans and military families? I know I am!

I am Lily McClelland and I will be serving as your public relations chair this year. I am a lifetime member of the Auxiliary and I’m excited to serve you this year!

What is public relations? It is managing how information about our organization is presented to the public. This is something every unit and member can learn more about.

Take a look at the Program Engagement Plan to learn more!

lilygobart@gmail.com

(319) 486-9113

2813A Mustang St. Lemoore, CA 93245

Lily McClelland

Risk & Compliance

As we stated at the leadership meeting, there are many units that are NOT in compliance with the IRS. I have a list of eighty units that need to correct their 990’s. In order to do this you will need to contact the IRS at www.irs.gov.

We are here to help you as much as we can with this problem.

If you are a disbanded unit you need to contact the IRS and let them know that you are no longer active so they can put your EIN number as inactive.

As we go forward this year let’s try to get as many units their status back as a non-profit unit.

Kim, Regina and myself are just an e-mail away.

Verlinda Prior– Districts 1.2.3 verlindaprior@yahoo.com

Regina Chock–Disrtricts 7,8,9 regchock@gmail.com

Kim Dixon–Districts 4,5,6 kjdixon1964@gmail.com

Verlinda Prior, Regina Chock, Kim Dixon

VA&R

Happy August!

The start of our new Auxiliary year is upon us. This year is a learning year for VA&R as two positions have been combined into one. We will learn this all together.

The purpose of the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Committee is to promote programs, events

and services that assist and enhance the lives of Veterans, their families, their caregivers and their

survivors, ensuring the best quality of life possible and continuing honor of their memory.

As we go through the year ask yourself these questions

***How do I support rehabilitation and healing of veterans through arts, crafts, and hobbies?

***How do I support veteran caregivers, family members and survivors?

***How did I assist local veterans in ways that are outside the VA facilities?

***How have I supported my local VA facility?

***How have I supported veterans and their families in the community by collaborating with external like-minded organizations such as Honor Flight, Quilts of Valor, Wreaths Across America etc. ?

**What other opportunities have I taken to support my local veterans and their families in my community?

The answer to these questions should be reported to the VA&R Committee along with the time spent in the collective activities. In case you forget…you can send short emails anytime. I hope to highlight different activities throughout the year so that others can learn from your experiences.

Alida Koltoff

National Convention

Do you want to attend the National Convention? August 28th- September 3, 2026. What you need to do is attend your district conference, dates listed below. Get elected to be a Delegate, Alternate, or come as a Guest. Make sure the form is filled out and sent to the department by the deadline.

CLICK HERE to find out more, and then go to National Convention selection.