Special Announcements. Bylaws and Orders. November/December, Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans

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1 November/December, (MUST be read on the Auxiliary Floor) Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans Special Announcements It is with deepest regret that we announce the passing of Past Department President Marjorie Moore, who went to her heavenly home on October 19, Congratulations to Jan (Lawrence) Passmore on her election as Big 10 Auxiliary President for In addition, congratulations to PDP and Department Secretary Cindy Peto on her appointment as Big 10 Auxiliary Secretary for Both of these ladies will serve us well at the Big 10 level. REMINDER!!! Please follow the chain of command if you have any questions. You should contact your District President or the Department. You should never contact National directly with a question as they will only send it back to the Department President for response. Membership Cards: We have received numerous phone calls regarding dues cards. National orders cards to be printed based upon the date the dues are recorded at National Headquarters. Once the backlog at the printing company is completed, it will typically take 6 weeks for a member to receive their card. Between now and then, if you wish to have a copy of your card, you would go online to Malta--go to and click on member login and you will be taken to where you may activate your account. Once you have activated your account, you may login and view your card as well as print out a copy of that card. Within the next few weeks, our members will be receiving our Mid-Winter Conference raffle tickets. Thanking you in advance for your support. Upon review of our annual calendar fund raiser for 2017, we have not incurred any income. This fund raiser will not be continued. Thank you to all those who have participated in past years. Our deepest appreciation goes to Grand Rapids Home for Veterans representation, Joan Broek on her many years of service and volunteer work. Joan has retired and she will be greatly missed. Congratulations and welcome to David Zimmerman for accepting this appointment. If you will remember, David Zimmerman was awarded the National Volunteer of the Year award, so how fitting that he would serve in this capacity. Bylaws and Orders Special Order #48. The Charter of VFW Auxiliary to Jean R. Anderson Post No. 7309, Mason, is hereby suspended for the period not to exceed 90 days, September 15- December 14, Special Order #80. The Charter of VFW Auxiliary to Red Arrow Post No. 1572, Kalamazoo, is hereby suspended for the period not to exceed 60 days, October 2- December 2, Special Order #84. The Charter of VFW Auxiliary to Coleman Post No. 1071, is hereby by cancelled. Special Order #104, Cancellation of Auxiliary No. 203, Berville, Michigan was cancelled due to the cancellation of the charter for the Post No. 203 by the National Commander-in- Chief.

2 Section 1004 Seals Auxiliaries on all levels shall have a seal, which shall be used on all official documents (credentials and dues cards). Please be aware that due to manufacturing limitations, abbreviations may be made. New Auxiliaries will be given a seal with the name of the Auxiliary, town and state, and date of institution of the Auxiliary thereon. New Auxiliary On Saturday, November 11, at 4:00 pm, Department will be instituting a new Auxiliary. Welcome to Rogers City Auxiliary #607. Everyone is invited to attend and welcome them to our Organization. Upcoming Events January 17-21, 2008 marks our annual Mid- Winter Conference where we honor and reward our VOD and Patriots Pen students. Please refer to our Department Website for information on hotel and ad book. The agenda has not yet been completed, but watch our website for that information, also. Treasurers Tips REMINDER: All Auxiliaries must have a Relief Fund and it should show on the Audit, even if the balance is zero. See Sec. 813A Auxiliary Treasurer. When submitting new life member applications, it is imperative that the applicant s date of birth be on the Application. Failure to do so, will hold up the processing of the application. Reminder: Applications for New Members MUST have the Member ID of who recruited or that individual will NOT receive credit. Remember that 990 s are due by November 15. The Department Treasurer does not automatically file for your Auxiliary. It is the responsibility of the Auxiliary to contact the office and let the Treasurer know and she will be happy to do it. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call the Department Office. Please send the Department a copy of your verification so that we may keep it on file. You may also access our Department website under About Us and FAQ for guidance in filing your 990. Dues for the offices of President, Secretary and Treasurer MUST be to the Department Office by December 20 th. If on January 1, if any of these officers are delinquent in their dues, they will be removed. This is mandated by National and the Department President will uphold this mandate. This is also part of the requirement for the Circle of Excellence. The National Organization is working on an improvement to MALTA wherein we will be able to add who recruited a member, if it was not initially made available; and there will be a way of tracking how many individuals a member recruited. Connection Corner Q: Is it true that beginning January 1, 2018, all audits must first be presented and approved on the Auxiliary floor THEN sent to Department? How does this affect the date when Audits must be to the Department Treasurer? A: First and most importantly, please review our 2018 National Bylaws, specifically Sec. 814 Trustees, Duties of (All Levels) changes are in bold: All audits are to be completed by the elected Trustees o With a minimum of two (2) in attendance. At least one (1) must be an elected Trustee. o The President, Secretary, and Treasurer should attend the audit. They are not allowed to perform the audit. o A signed copy of the accepted audit shall be forwarded to the Department Treasurer

3 For the audit due January 31, 2017, the following process should be followed: For Auxiliaries that meet within the first 10 days of the month, you will have until the 10 th of the following month (example: February 10) to submit your accepted audits. No further extensions will be given for these Auxiliaries unless there are extenuating circumstances. All other Auxiliaries should be able to complete their audit and have it accepted across the Auxiliary floor and meet the January 31, 2018 deadline. Questions? If you have any questions or comments, please the Department Office at and we will answer your question and also incorporate it into our next Michigan Connection. By Order of: Bonnie Pray Bonnie Pray Department President Cindy Peto Cindy Peto Department Secretary

4 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary AMERICANISM BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Keepsake Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans Hello Patriots! November is National Military Family Month & Veterans Day, this is a special month to honor and recognize all Americans who have worn the nation s military uniform. On November 11 th let s show support to our veterans by standing side-by-side in the classrooms showing support to our country, respect to our flag, and see that all are instructed in the correct way to say the pledge to the flag. Possibly your Auxiliary could do something special for your Post Veterans letting them know how much they are appreciated. For the month of November, we need to honor our Veterans by promoting the American Flag and the Prisoners Of War/Missing in Action Flag throughout our communities. For those businesses and citizens of your community with worn and tattered flags or are not displaying a flag, this is a great time to present them with an American Flag. This is, also, a wonderful time to thank your neighbors and businesses with a Patriotic Certificate. You can find one on our web site or make up your own. All month be thinking of the families who have Prisoners of War and the Missing in Action. A thinking of you card could be sent from the Auxiliary, Post or yourself! Take this opportunity to teach patriotism with projects that involve the teachers and the students, offering time in the classroom sharing the meaning of the 13 Flag folds, Flag Education, the proper way to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. You may also ask your District President for some ideas from the Americanism Booklet that was distributed at the Fall Conference with several ideas available for the students. Every month is the time to promote the Military PTSD (Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder). This take home disorder is on the rise for both present soldiers and for our Veterans. Learn where to guide someone. Our National Home helpline is a very valuable tool. Make this number, , as one of your cell phone contacts. Let s show all the support that we can! Fast approaching is the month of December and the season for the reason a time to reflect on all our blessings, to include the homeless men and women, children, and veterans. Also the men and women who served us well that are hospitalized, and the shut-ins.

5 We say our pledges, both to the American Flag and to our organization to serve God & Country. Give from your heart; think of others? A simple phone call, a knock on the door perhaps a gift of that extra banana bread or homemade goodie along with a Christmas greeting goes a long way. Don t forget the Blue Star & Gold Star Mothers as well. You will feel so blessed, a day of JOY that will lift you up as well leaving a smile on the ones you visited. RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS by Suzy Toronto Everyone wants to get ahead in the world, but it s hard when people go about it in thoughtless ways. They puff themselves up with hot air, seek attention & praise, and end up stepping on whomever they can to get higher. Many of us know what that feels like---been there! Done that! And it s really not that much fun! The fact is; the real rise to the top is a lot easier than it sounds. Just let go of the idea that we need to climb somewhere, on something, or someone, and concentrate on lifting and inspiring others on their journey. When we stop focusing on ourselves, we end up fixing extraordinary joy in watching their dreams take flight. And here s the best part. In the process, they become the wind beneath our wings. We effortlessly float to the top and find ourselves soaring higher than ever before. The ride is a blast, and the view is amazing. So, inspire, uplift, and empower others. It is the secret to true and lasting greatness. Chairmen, let s get our members motivated and start checking off our guide sheets on the items we have done and get them reported. Merry Christmas to all! My Prayer for everyone is to have a Healthy and Safe New Year! I am going to do everything in my power to fulfill our Americanism Goals --- how about you? Loyally Submitted, Kathy Hubbard Americanism Chairman 108 Schorn Rd. Lake Orion, MI Cell OR Home specialk843@aol.com

6 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary CAMP TROTTER BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans Greetings! My name is Vickie Bushong and I will be taking over the Camp Trotter Chairmanship for the remainder of the program year. I am currently working with Department to verify all the reports that have been submitted, so please be patient. Now is a good time while camp is quiet to review your guide sheet and see which areas still need attention: Life Membership Donation to the General Fund send a kid to camp Attend and register at your district meeting Christmas is soon approaching. What a great gift for a child, but to send them to a beautiful summer camp for a week (or 2) in the summer. Just a reminder if you were not at the Camp Trotter meeting at Fall Conference, there will NOT be a teen camping session this year. The regular five weeks of camp are listed on the website. Don t forget, we will be holding the Silver Dollar Table at the Mid-Winter Conference on January 17 th thru January 21 st at the Radisson Plaza in Kalamazoo. Please bring new or gently used items for the table. Be looking in the next bulletin for a list of needed items for the summer camping season (craft supplies, sports balls, etc.). There will also be a list of open staff positions. Please continue to do quarterly reporting even if it is just that you read and discussed your bulletin at your meeting. If you have any questions about reporting, please feel free to contact me. REPORT REPORT REPORT Vickie Bushong Camp Trotter Department Chairman 5201 E. Valley Rd. Mt. Pleasant, MI (989) or (989) GmaBushong@gmail.com

7 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary EXTENSION/CHIEF OF STAFF BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans Auxiliary Presidents: These last two months of the 2017 year are critical in keeping your membership strong. Ask your Membership Chairman or your membership committee to contact those annual members who have not yet paid their membership dues. According to Section 104 in Bylaws and Ritual, The membership year of the Auxiliary is from January 1 to December 31. A member who has paid their dues to December 31 is in good standing. You are more likely to retain a member if their dues are paid before December 31, so let s work hard these last two months to keep the members we already have. Promote Your Auxiliary! Remember to always publicize your Auxiliary activities and programs so that your community will look positively at the VFW and perhaps have an interest in joining us in our mission. When you speak to potential members let them know there is something for everyone in the VFW Auxiliary. Discuss our programs and how they can get involved. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION ABOUT AWARDS ON YOUR AUXILIARY FLOOR: Your Auxiliary and/or members are eligible for four different Extension National or Department awards. These awards are as follows: NATIONAL AWARD FOR MEMBERS 1. Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Keepsake to one member in each Department who assists in revitalizing his/her Auxiliary and who uses the Healthy Auxiliary materials. If you know someone who should be considered for this award, you need to fill out the form, found on the department website, and return it to the Department Chief of Staff by February 28, Special National President s Coin to one member in each Department who demonstrates the best mentoring in his/her Auxiliary and/or Department. If you know someone who should be considered for this award, you need to fill out the form, found on the department website, and return it to the Department Chief of Staff by February 28, NATIONAL AWARD FOR AUXILIARIES 1. Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Citation to one Auxiliary in each Department that best used publicity, i.e. radio/tv/social media, in forming their Auxiliary or revitalizing their Auxiliary. If you know an Auxiliary that should be considered for this award, you need to fill out the form, found on the Department website, and return it to the Department Chief of Staff by February 28, 2018.

8 2. Citation to one Auxiliary in each Department that implements the CARE Mentoring Program or some other mentoring program. If your Auxiliary wants to be considered for this award, you need to fill out the form, found on the Department website, and return it to the Department Chief of Staff by February 28, Healthy Auxiliary Resources: The Healthy Auxiliary Member Questionnaire, which is available on the Department or National website, is an excellent tool to use if your Auxiliary needs to resolve any issues that may arise. The information that your members provide to you in this survey is anonymous and will assist your Auxiliary in turning a negative experience into a positive one. The Online Auxiliary Academy is another resource to help keep your Auxiliary healthy. The VFW Auxiliary website has free online training sessions for your members on a range of topics. Some of them are: M.A.L.T.A. Training for Members and Treasurers Auxiliary Traditions Learn about our ritual and unique things we do at our meetings Ritualistic Opening and Closing Essentials of an Auxiliary in Good Standing IRS Form 990N epostcard Guide and Instructions Engaging Your Auxiliary s Existing Members When a member offers a good suggestion, or helps with a program or fundraiser that improves the healthy state of your Auxiliary, you might recognize them with the Good Job Award to say thank you and offer an incentive for other members to step up and earn this same recognition. This certificate can be found on the Department or National website. New Auxiliaries! We will be instituting Auxiliary 607 in Rogers City on November 11, Welcome to the greatest veteran s organization in the United States! Thank you to Jackie Spens for all of your hard work in organizing this Auxiliary. If you know of any other posts who would like to start an Auxiliary let me know and I will assist them in doing so. R U Healthy Checklist reminders for November and December: Quarterly reports in all programs Additional dues notices sent and dues submitted through the MALTA system or to Department 100% +1 in membership Purchase 2018 Bylaws and Ritual from the VFW Store Auxiliary attends your District meeting IRS Form 990 epostcard filed by November 15 If there is anything that I assist you with, don t hesitate to contact me using the following information.

9 Marilyn J. Malick Department Chief of Staff Venice Ave. Clinton Township, MI

10 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary HOSPITAL BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans Volunteering is such a noble mission, a precious gift for both the giver the recipient. Won t you give someone a gift? Fall Conference was an enormous success. Thank you to everyone who donated basket items and bought raffle tickets. The hospital program made $1245. I will post pictures of the baskets on the Hospital Facebook page. Thank you for all the toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorants and soap donated. I received hundreds of items. Everything was divided amongst the hospitals. The weather was hot, humid and dry. It was wonderful weekend. I hope everyone learned something during School of Instruction. I passed out bags of information at the Breakout session. I will have the bags at Mid- Winter Conference also. Mid-Winter Conference is January at Radisson in Kalamazoo. There will be a hospital booth. Instead of having to bring basket items or having to bring home a hospital basket you may have won, the District Presidents or District Hospital Chairman will choose one of the following themes: cash, gift cards or lottery board. None of the items will be left unattended in the booth. Some ideas for the booth: take pictures of the items, make a list of the gift cards or lottery board, create a treasure chest or pot of gold for the cash. Be creative. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. Please review the guide sheet. Be specific when reporting. If you recruit a new hospital volunteer, report it and whether they are an adult or youth recruit. Hospital volunteers can volunteer at any hospital or nursing home, not just VA hospitals and homes. Contact the hospital or nursing home to find out their requirements. It is hard to believe Christmas is right around the corner. Get youth involved. Have them make Christmas cards for our hospitalized Veterans. If the children sign the cards, they should only put their first names for safety reasons. Report under Hospital and Youth programs. If you donate to Gold Star Mothers, it is reportable under Hospital. Donations to Gold Star Mothers helps them continue their Hospital work. It is also a Department Suggested donation.

11 The 1 st Fisher House in Michigan is being built next to the Ann Arbor VA hospital. What is the Fisher House? It is a place for families can stay while their loved ones are receiving medical care at the VA hospital. They stay there for free. It saves them money so they don t have to pay for a hotel room. It helps the Veteran with their care because they know their family is close by. For more information: visit If you have any questions or need help, please don t hesitate to ask. As always thank you for all you do for our hospitalized Veterans. DeeAnn Miller, Hospital Chairman 905 Sunningdale Inkster, MI Deeannm1@yahoo.com

12 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans Well Fall Conference is over, I have to apologize, when giving my report I neglected to say my Chairmanship and give my name. Nerves! It was a great time and the training was exceptional. As advocates for our Veterans and service members and their families we must keep calling, ing and writing those letters. This can be done using team work. Write that letter to your Senator and have all your members sign it. Network with other VFW Posts and Auxiliaries. Trade ideas as to what others are doing, anything different can help. Our nation made a promise to those who serve and we must work to ensure that promise is kept. The more we work at our job, the stronger and more successful it all will be with these Legislators and Senators. The initiatives now are: VA Caregiver Program- we must influence our Legislators to pass S.591 or H.R The Military and Veterans Caregivers Services Improvement Act of 2017, which would recognize that the pre-9/11 Veterans who also need caregiver benefits. This would keep them out of costly inpatient nursing facilities, and to relieve the burden on caring family members who have suffered long enough. Concurrent Receipt- We must ask congress to pass H.R.303 or S.66 the Retired Pay Restoration Act, which would enable disabled retirees to concurrently receive the retirement pay and VA disability compensation they have earned and deserve without offset. We must also ask congress to pass H.R. 846 Military Surviving Spouses Act or S.339 Military Widows Tax Elimination Act of 2017, which would honor the sacrifices of our nation s heroes ensuring their survivors are able to maintain a modest quality of life, without having to unjustly offset their benefits. Toxic Exposure- again we must ask congress to pass H.R.299 or S.442 the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, which would expand VA benefits and services to the Blue Water Navy Veterans. Also H.R. 3605, The Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act of 2017, which would expand the period of time that Veterans on the Korean DMZ are known to have been exposed to Agent Orange. I ask again for everyone to sign up for the VFW Action Corp Weekly and Check Point News. Your Legislative Chairman in your Auxiliary can bring this news to the meeting.

13 Share what is important that month, have letters written for members to sign. And remember there are members in every Auxiliary who do not do computers. Let our voices be heard and Report. Della Petaja, Department Chairman Boundary Street Calumet, MI

14 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary MEMBERSHIP/LEADERSHIP BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans Membership Theme: Freedom is Not Free Every member needs to be congratulated on their patience and understanding while not only the Department of Michigan implemented a new website, but National s as well. The Departments website is easy to use and all your information is at your fingertips! By utilizing all the tools available, we can demonstrate our Strength and Unity for our veterans! MALTA is up and running and it is SO easy to use. It has real time membership information. If you haven t logged on to it yet, please do! You need your membership number and your name as it appears on your magazine. You just follow the onscreen prompts. Once you are registered, you can pay your dues online, convert your membership to life and even print a new card. You can also immediately see how your auxiliary is doing. It gives you all the contact information for your Auxiliary, District, Department and National officers. If you go to Membership resources, you will find a wealth of information and tools you can download and use. New this year is a membership engagement packet for Check them all out as they are still working on the website and adding more things! Also new this year is the Catch 5 pin. Sign up 5 new or rejoined members from July 2017, to April 30, 2018, with the official form received at National Headquarters no later than May 31, Let s see how many of these pins we can get! Also, there is the Membership Achievement award for those who secures 20 new members from July 2017 to April 30, 2018, received at National Headquarters no later than May 31, Every Auxiliary should have sent out dues notices by now. It is important to retain the members we have. According to National VFW Auxiliary, 23,000 annual members nationwide do not renew their dues from the previous year. Most were never told it was time to send them in or who to mail them to. EVERY Dues Notice should have: 1. Auxiliary name and number 2. Treasurer s contact information 3. Amount of the dues 4. A deadline for payment 5. How, when and where a member can pay. Membership is our backbone. We need the membership so we can help our veterans! Dues need to be paid by December 31 st!

15 Does your Auxiliary offer anything for those who renew early? Several Auxiliaries have reported what they do. It is amazing what this little incentive can do. The member gets an item or service, or a chance at a drawing. Not only do they remain members, but now they have an interest in what you are doing. You can let members you haven t seen in a while know what you have done this past year. See if there is something that person can help out with and get them involved. Before you know it, you ll have a new volunteer. Make your plans for your recruiting event. We have an array of ideas and each Auxiliary is unique with their ideas. Does your Post or Auxiliary host a Veteran s Day ceremony, put on a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas event for the public? Invite military families, Police, Firefighters and EMT s. Give them a citation for what they do for your community. They may be able to join. Let them get to know you and what YOU do for the community. Have information and applications available. With membership renewals coming in, there are many auxiliaries unreported on MALTA. Please do not hold on to the dues! Send them in to Department or pay them online. On the flip side, we have several Auxiliaries who are already at 100%, with some more being close. Please remember that you have to be at 100% Plus one more! Thank-you for all the reports! Remember that membership has to be reported like every other program. Look at your guide sheet and see what you need to do. We are now starting our 3 rd quarter, please continue to report. We are members because of our veterans. Spend time with them this holiday season. Find out if there is something they need. No veteran should be alone or go without. A simple act of kindness will go a long way. Remember that Freedom is not Free. I wish you all a Blessed Thanksgiving, the Merriest of Christmas and Happy New Year. Jane Dady Department Membership Chairman 953 N US 23 East Tawas, MI (989) jdpickle12@yahoo.com

16 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary SCHOLARSHIPS BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans PROGRAM GOALS Student Participation Recipient Recognition Community Awareness WOW!!! October 31, 2017 has passed and by now you should have all your entries in and be setting up for your judging. Please have your judging and all entry forms, student questionnaire, student release forms, typed speeches, photo of student and CD or flash drives ready to send in to district. All materials must be sent into District for the judging by November 15, When the judging is complete and sent to your District Chairman, remember to invite the student and their family to the District Awards Banquet. I m excited for all the students and for the Post and Auxiliaries that took the time to participant. PLEASE REPORT TO ME THE NUMBER OF ENTRIES YOU HAVE FOR EACH PROGRAM and the number of applications you distributed in each program. Department Awards for VOD: 1 st place $6,000; 2 nd place $3,500; 3 rd place $3,000; 4 th place $1,500 and 5 th 12 th $1,000. Department Awards for Patriot s Pen: 1 st place $1,000; 2 nd place $750; 3 rd place $750; 4 th place-12 th place $500. The Post and Districts set their own prizes. Remember to publish on social media, newspaper, TV, and school papers. District chairmen: please make sure you go over the information at you District meetings so the Auxiliary Chairmen can ask questions and get answers for their program. All entries must be sent to Harry Les Croyle, Trailwood Dr., Warren, MI

17 All first place winners will be invited to Mid-Winter Conference so make sure you order rooms and banquet tickets for you winners and their family. The Mid-Winter conference reservation flyers are on the web site. Scholarship and Contest Resources VFW website: VFW Auxiliary website: Department website: Kathryn Kirby 2330 Bingham Rd Clio, MI P

18 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary VETERANS AND FAMILY SUPPORT BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans It was great seeing so many of you at the Fall Conference. I hope you found the School of Instruction helpful and informative. I m trying to upload the Power Point for those of you that weren t able to be there. You are doing a great job in the reporting. Currently, we are 65% reported. Deadline for reporting is October 31, The next two months are going to be busy we have a lot to do for our veterans, active duty and their families. The holidays and winter are hard times for them, especially our homeless vets. There are several homeless veterans organizations that can use extra donations at this time of year volunteer time as well as monetary contributions. NOVEMBER IS MILITARY FAMILY MONTH - We want to Catch the Dream for our Veterans this month by really going the extra mile. What have you planned? One big event would be great a Luau party, a dental day, or banquet night with special party favors. Think about adopting a veteran and their family or call the local armory and find an active duty family in your area. The Family Readiness group can usually give you assistance or know a family in need. What better way can we say thank you for their sacrifice and their dedication to our nation than to honor them with special thanks. Even better than one big event, maybe just something every day! Send a card, make a dessert and deliver it to their house, do they have a baby diapers are always needed, volunteer to do yard work for them, maybe babysit while they do a date night, a day of cleaning house, maybe they need some home repairs done we have a lot of members with a lot of talents, use those to benefit our veterans and their families. You can incorporate all the programs. Americanism do they have a flag on their house; Scholarships are their kids preparing for college, give them information on the Continuing Education Scholarship; Hospital are they in the hospital or nursing home you can pay them a visit; Camp Trotter pay for their child to go to camp next year; Legislative show them how to write their legislators to maintain their benefits and improve quality of life for active duty and veterans; and Youth Activities have a kids activity day to get them out of the house so Mom and Dad can get some extra time without the kids under foot. Of course have membership materials available. Make this a special month for all our veterans young, old, male, and female. Think outside the box and something fun, exciting and/or creative for them. Talk with them and find out what they might need. If it s something that your Auxiliary can t do alone, get the Post to help or join up with another Auxiliary close to you and work on it together. It s all about celebrating our veterans and making their lives and their family s lives a little bit better. Get the media involved put something on the radio or in your local paper. With the veteran s permission, you might do an interview of them

19 and their family members and put it in the local paper as a spotlight article. Many people are not aware of what it takes to be a military family the sacrifices that are made as a family. Growing up, my Dad was on active duty. He was gone a lot! My Mom had to deal with five kids mostly on her own. There were times when my dad was overseas and his pay hadn t come through that my Mom didn t know when she was going to be able to pay the bills or get groceries. There were things that went wrong around the house or with the car. School activities or projects all of us kids had to do. If our VFW family hadn t stepped up and lent a helping hand, it would have been even harder on my Mom. Let s be that helping hand for our veterans and their families. Veterans Day is November 11, 2017 thank the veterans around you for all they do. Put together some special care packages to give your Post members or take to the armory. There are student veterans organizations in many areas around the state do a sub/pizza day at their organization. What student will miss free food? There are a lot of restaurant that provide complimentary meals for veterans, but they can t go because of transportation needs. Set up some volunteers to take them. Educate the public and lead by example. If they see us doing special things for our veterans and reaching out a hand in thanks, maybe they will take an extra minute to stop and thank a veteran when they see them on the street. The Military Order of the Cooties puts on a special Christmas party every year at the VFW National Home for Children. It is the first weekend of December. Donations for gifts for the children are always welcome. You can make donations of items or cash to the National Home or through a local Cooties Pup Tent. Have you adopted a unit this year? Make sure you send your care packages early for Christmas - overseas mail is very slow. What about Christmas cookies freeze them and get some dry ice to ship with it. How awesome would that be? Send some Christmas cards so they can send them back here to their families. Operation UpLink is a way to help them stay connected. This is one of the programs supported through the VFW Veterans and Military Support program donations. Mid-Winter Conference is January 19-21, We will be doing the Buddy Poppy Contest at that time. For this year s displays, I want you to incorporate President Bonnie s theme, Strength and Unity for Our Veterans. Somewhere on the display there shall be a bugle and Rosie the Riveter. There shall be a minimum of 5 Buddy Poppies in their original format. The display shall not be any larger than the following dimensions: 12 inches wide, 12 inches long and 16 inches tall. You are all so creative and I was amazed last year at the displays that we received. I m really excited to see what we get this year. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns that you need assistance with. I can be reached by phone or . My information is below. In service to our veterans, Diana Ward, Department Chairman Veterans & Family Support Skyline Dr.

20 Fenton, MI (810) or (810) [cell]

21 Michigan Department VFW Auxiliary YOUTH BULLETIN November/December National Theme: Catch the Dream for Our Veterans Department Theme: Strength and Unity for Our Veterans I m sure everyone who attended Fall Conference had a very educational weekend. I know I sure did. On Facebook I asked a question about something at the meetings, and if you reported it. The answer I was looking for is how many of you reported at least two youth attending our conference? Whether it be at the auxiliary meetings or joint meetings. Did you have a Halloween party for your youth? How about a Trunk or Treat at your post? Many communities have them and it s a good thing for us to join in and become known in the community. Veterans Day is coming up shortly. Do you have a day set at a school for a Veteran to speak to their students? If not give, them a call or to see if a veteran can speak to the students about what it was like being a solider and a veteran. You could also contact a scouting group, ROTC or a faith-based youth group. Veterans Day is a good time to teach young people about the difference between Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. Many adults don t know the difference. So by teaching the young we can educate others. This is the time of year we all trying to think of ways to do more for people. Every community has someone who is less fortunate than most. Families and youth groups can help do things for them. Such as: collect food, toiletries, clothing, etc. for local food banks or clothing drives. Do yard work and/or other clean-up for them. Adopt a family for Thanksgiving or Christmas and provide them with a food basket and needed items. Will you be having a holiday dinner for Veterans? Enlist the help of a youth group to help prepare, serve, clean up, or any part in helping the veterans. Maybe you can have a youth group come and sing to everyone. That s a good time to have the youth talk to and learn from the veterans. Now is a good time to have your youth go to a V.A. Hospital or a non V.A. hospital where veterans reside. There s so much they can do in a visit. Write for them, play bingo, pass out cards made by them, etc. How about taking some young people to a homeless shelter where veterans go and help with serving them.

22 Now is the time when everyone is doing more for others. It s a good time to teach our young people that it s something to do all year long. May all your Holidays be Happy days. Karen Rasey Department of Michigan Youth Activities Chairman 267 Winding Brook Dr. Leonard, MI laux2052@gmail.com