A Community of Volunteers Serving Veterans, Military, and their Families
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Happy International Women’s Day! Join the American Legion Auxiliary Foundation in Celebrating Women of Service today! Make a gift to the ALA Foundation in honor of an ALA member or woman who inspires you. This 24-hour nationwide fundraising appeal will bring together our incredible community of volunteers and veterans to sustain the ALA’s mission of service. Every gift received today will fund the ALA Foundation’s Mission Endowment Fund, which benefits the ALA Girls Nation program and funds the ALA Foundation’s Mission in Action Grants. | |
What are you planning for Month of the Military Child and Purple UP! Day? | |
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Military children face unique challenges and make sacrifices. To recognize this, April is designated as Month of the Military Child (#MOMC), and April 15 is Purple Up! Day. During the month of April, we encourage you to plan special events and activities for the military children in your community.
On Purple Up! Day, wear purple to show support for military children and raise awareness about their sacrifices. Purple symbolizes a combination of the colors of each branch of the U.S. military: Army green, Navy blue, Air Force blue, Marine red, and Coast Guard blue.
We’d love to hear what you have planned. Send us an email.
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National Poppy Day is on the horizon | |
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Do you have an event planned for this special day? Make sure people know about it by advertising! Be sure to promote your unit activities on your social media, reach out to local media outlets, include announcements in your unit and post home newsletters, and more! We have resources available to help you promote your American Legion Family National Poppy Day events and activities:
You’re invited to our 2023 Virtual National Poppy Day event
We’re putting together the pieces of our back-by-popular-demand Virtual National Poppy Day, and we’d love your fingerprints on it. We hope to feature all generations in our presentation! See below for the several ways you can participate. Of course, we hope you can submit items for all of these segments, but if you can only do one, that’s fine too!
Here’s how you can participate:
Finish this sentence: I wear a poppy...
- You can send us a video (directions below) or email a photo of yourself with the answer.
Do you have a loved one who was killed in duty, a prisoner of war, or missing in action?
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Send us an email with their photo, name, and branch of service.
How to send a video:
- Record yourself or have someone record you.
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Use the site www.WeTransfer.com to send it to [email protected].
- Videos must be filmed in landscape mode (hold your camera horizontally.)
- Tip: Avoid the sunlight in your face or having a window or busy background behind you.
Submit materials to [email protected] by Monday, April 17, and watch our Virtual National Poppy Day presentation on May 26!
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A record number of applications for this ALA scholarship | |
Great news! We received 864 applications for the ALA Children of Warriors National Presidents’ scholarship! We will announce the 15 recipients in May. We will also award five Spirit of Youth scholarships, 10 Junior Member Loyalty scholarships, and five Non-Traditional Student scholarships. Good luck to all who applied. | |
The ALA Foundation Board of Directors is looking for you! | Are you interested in using your leadership and fundraising experience to serve veterans, military, and their families? The ALA Foundation is looking for talented and passionate individuals to serve for a three-year term on the board of directors. This group builds, promotes, and sustains the ALA Foundation by connecting with supporters and volunteers, all while raising funds to support the programs and services of the American Legion Auxiliary. Apply here by March 31! | |
Join and save on resort vacations | |
Here’s to warmer days ahead! From now until March 17, Resort Vacation Certificates are only $309 USD* when you join the Armed Forces Vacation Club. These certificates can be used to book one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites at over 4,000 affiliated resorts worldwide.
Sign up now and start planning a seven-night vacation in the sun before this offer ends.
Benefits of a Resort Vacation Certificate:
- Redeemable right after purchase with no waiting period.
- Book your vacation within 365 days of purchase and travel later.
- Purchase a seven-night stay without paying per night or per person.
- Certificates can be used by members or gifted to friends and family.
Armed Forces Vacation Club celebrates the hard work and sacrifice of our military members and veterans by providing exclusive discounts on the best resorts, hotels, and so much more. As a one-stop shop that offers easy access to all your vacation needs, membership means you’re always a few steps away from saving on the perfect trip.
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A new course is coming soon in the ALA Academy. ALA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was created to: help our members recognize biased language and performance bias and implement strategies to overcome them; identify and properly use interrupters to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all; and demonstrate the ability to coach others on the importance of inclusion and equity within ALA. Follow our socials @ALAforVeterans for updates on when the course is live in the ALA Academy.
Has your membership expired? You can still renew for 2023 and continue serving veterans, military, and their families. Renew your membership in three easy ways: by phone, online, or mail. Go to www.ALAforVeterans.org, call (317) 569-4570, or mail in your renewal notice.
Need American Legion Family membership applications? We have two versions available – color and black-and-white – available for download. We created the black-and-white version to be printer friendly from your home office. The traditional brochures are still available from your department.
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Help us increase our following on Instagram. You may be familiar with our social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter, but did you know we are on Instagram too? Join us for fun, unique content you won’t see anywhere else! Just search for @ALAforVeterans or scan the QR code. | |
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Request to join the official ALA program and committee groups on Facebook | |
Discover what your fellow ALA members are saying in the committee Facebook groups! These easy-to-access forums provide an arena for organic discussion about your local programs or services and present the opportunity to cultivate brand awareness. Find the list of groups here.
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Social media came into the world quickly and is always evolving. It has become part of our culture, and an entire generation doesn’t know life without it. Social media is a great way to stay connected with families and friends, learn from others with similar interests, stay up to date with your favorite brands, and more. It’s a valuable marketing tool, not only for companies to market their products, but for organizations like the ALA to spread awareness of our mission and attract new members, volunteers, and donors. Learn more social media tips and tricks on our blog. | |
It’s a new year, and if you have not already done so, take time to review your constitution and bylaws! Your C&B are the rules an organization considers so important that they cannot be changed without prior notice to the members and the vote of a large majority. More than that, they are a corporate record that must be kept permanently. Learn tips about your C&B on the blog. | |
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March – Women’s History Month
March 8 – International Women’s Day
March 13 – K-9 Veterans Day
March 15 – American Legion 104th birthday
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
March 21 – Rosie the Riveter Day
March 25 – Medal of Honor Day
March 29 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day
April – Month of the Military Child
April 15 – Purple Up! Day for military children
April 29 – American Legion Family Day
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What is your favorite ALA program and why? | |
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“Legislative. We get to support our veterans, active-duty military, and their families through advocacy and working closely with our other Legion Family members.”
— Nancy Smith Gilbert, Pennsylvania
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American Legion Family Day is next month
American Legion Family Day is Saturday, April 29. On this date, American Legion posts nationwide will open their doors to members of their local communities with the intent of celebrating all great deeds and works of The American Legion Family to educate, recruit, recognize, and give back to members who continually support the gift of giving. The day will also place special emphasis and awareness on the Legion’s “Be The One” program.
2022 Samsung American Legion Scholarship recipients visit Washington, D.C.
The 10 national scholars of the 2022 Samsung American Legion Scholarship were recognized by The American Legion Family during the Legion’s Washington Conference.
The scholars were eligible for the Samsung American Legion Scholarship for their participation in either American Legion Boys State or American Legion Auxiliary Girls State in 2022, being the direct descendant (or legally adopted child) of a U.S. military veteran, and for their academic achievement and community service.
The 2022 Samsung American Legion Scholarship recipients each received $10,000 for higher education. Recipients:
- Claudia Elliott of Alabama
- Neal King of California
- Naomi Porter of California
- Kimberly Whitmore of Colorado
- Andrew Bebbington of Delaware
- Rylie Fairbank of Kansas
- Owen Fitzpatrick of Massachusetts
- Garrison Brown of Pennsylvania
- Jonathan Biering of South Carolina
- Adam Dembicki of Virginia
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Legion Family Merchandise
Show your support by buying from
American Legion Flag & Emblem Sales.
Shop now
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The American Legion Legislative Center
The ALA supports the legislative agenda of The American Legion.
Get involved.
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In the spirit of Service Not Self, the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to support The American Legion and honor the sacrifice of those who serve by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military, and their families, both at home and abroad. For God and country, we advocate for veterans, educate our citizens, mentor youth, and promote patriotism, good citizenship, peace, and security.
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