ALA In the Know eBulletin

Click here to stay updated with November reports and timely articles from ALA national committees, programs, and activities: 100th Anniversary Committee, Auxiliary Emergency Fund, ALA Girls Nation, Americanism, Children & Youth, Education, Junior Activities, Leadership, Legislative, Membership, National Security, Poppy, Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation

Are you making plans to participate in this year’s #GivingTuesday, a time dedicated to making individual and corporate donations to worthy causes? Please be sure to include the American Legion Auxiliary Foundation as a recipient of your generosity! The ALA Foundation’s participation in #GivingTuesday directly impacts the lives of veterans, military, and their families through the ALA Foundation’s Veteran Projects Fund and the Mission Endowment Fund.

Click here to: (1) Make an online donation; (2) learn how your financial gift can make a difference; and (3) find out how to help us tell others about this opportunity to impact lives.

Looking for great ideas and inspiration for mission-based outreach programs and activities? How about different strategies for ALA membership recruitment? Or some good advice from the popular Goodwill Gail column? You can find that — and much more — in the November edition of Auxiliary magazine! Also featured in this edition is a look back at an impactful year of service by Auxiliary members, another successful ALA Girls Nation event, and highlights of the 98th annual ALA National Convention.

Click here to read all about it!

American Legion Auxiliary members can learn other ways to aid and honor veterans, servicemembers, and their families by becoming well-versed on the Auxiliary’s core programs. Attending an ALA Mission Training single-day event is a fun and interactive way to do that along with other members. ALA Juniors can do this too by coming to one of our national Junior meetings, which are held at the same dates and locations as ALA Mission Training events.

Click here to register or to learn more.

Remaining 2018-2019 ALA Mission Training and national Junior meeting dates:

Charlotte, N.C. – Jan. 12

Las Vegas, Nev. – Jan. 26

The American Legion Auxiliary will be celebrating our centennial during the 2019-2020 administrative year. Do you want to be a part of our history? If your answer is yes, please apply for a leadership position during this very special year. There are several appointment opportunities for you to explore. Our goal is to match skill sets and talents in ways that best complement the ALA’s mission of serving veterans, the military, and their families. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to  Service Not Self as the organization we all love turns 100!

Click  here to apply. Application window closes Jan. 1, 2019.

Changes to the membership criteria of The American Legion, and the American Legion Auxiliary, may be ahead. During its annual fall meeting last month, the Legion’s National Executive Committee passed a resolution calling for the U.S. Congress to declare that America has been continuously engaged in a state of war from Dec. 7, 1941 to the present. The resolution also asks Congress to direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to qualify any military personnel, who served honorably for at least one day during that timeframe, to be a wartime veteran.

If Congress approves this, then the Legion’s second resolution, also adopted during its fall NEC meeting, would be put into motion. The second resolution opens membership into The American Legion to veterans who served honorably during the following periods: April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918, and Dec. 7, 1941 to the date of cessation of armed hostilities as determined by the U.S. government. The broadened military service timeframe would also be applied to the ALA’s membership eligibility.

Click here to learn more.

When you shop on Amazon, you can also help the American Legion Auxiliary Foundation make a difference in the lives of veterans, servicemembers, and their families! Through AmazonSmile, the company’s charitable program, Amazon donates 0.5 percent of every purchase you make to the ALA Foundation. It’s easy to set up, and there are no added fees.

Just sign in to Amazon through this special link and select the American Legion Auxiliary Foundation. This option is available year-round. Please participate in AmazonSmile … and help ensure the ALA’s important and immensely impactful programs remain available for future generations.