Auxiliary Corner - February 2025
Hello Everyone,
January has come to a close and we are one month closer to spring! This past month has been quite busy for all and we are now on to even more busy times.
Currently, we are in the middle of a clothing drive to help our community. Charlene Mandolare has brought it to our attention that there are people in our community in need of some help. With the help of the Legion Family, Charlene is heading up the clothing drive. We have a collection box set up in the Lounge, collecting gently used or new clothing for all ages both children and adults. We will have a community weekend to distribute the clothing. On February 1st and 2nd, we will open our upstairs so the community may “shop” for the items they need. This is free of charge for all. We have reserved February 8th for those who wish to make an appointment for a private shop. We are still in need of children and teen sizes. We are collecting for all seasons with an emphasis on winter. I would like to thank everyone that continues to donate to this worthy cause. For more information or questions, please contact Charlene Mandolare. You are all amazing!
We have kicked off our planning sessions for the Wall! As you all know, it is going to take MANY volunteers to make this event successful. Our meetings will be the second Sunday of the month following our breakfast. If you would like to be part of this event, you are welcome to attend these meetings. Meeting will start at noon right after breakfast. We will be doing an ad book for this event and the pricing information is available at the lounge, or by contacting me directly. The email address is [email protected]. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or ideas you may have.
Leadership has returned from Mid-Winter conference and I would like to thank all that attended. The auxiliary had 7 members attend. One thing I would like to touch on is membership. We are a member driven organization. Without our members, we do not exist. Please note that it is the IRS that sets our eligibility for our membership. Currently, that stops at Grandparents. This means, anyone wishing to join any of our entities can only do so if they are eligible up through their grandparents’ service. Because of this ruling, we have lost an entire generation of members. We have quite a few younger people that would love to be members, however can not because the only family member that served our country was indeed their Great Grandparent. The only way this can be changed is to change the ruling. It has come to our attention that Congress can urge the IRS to change the ruling. I am asking that every member of every entity, notify their congressmen of the importance of our membership and ask them to change the ruling with the IRS and open up our membership to more generations. As our members age out and unfortunately pass away, our membership dwindles. It is important that we recruit our younger people as they are the future of the American Legion and Auxiliary.
Remember, your volunteer hours count! Please keep track of your hours and turn them in monthly. April will be the Auxiliary’s next round of reports. Every volunteer hour is worth $33.49. We need your help!
We appreciate every member in our organization no matter which entity they are a member of. To the many members who are recovering from illnesses and operations, we wish you a speedy and full recovery.
Finally, our American Legion Family and the families of our members have suffered great loss over the past few weeks. Please keep the following families in your thoughts as they navigate through difficult times. Gloria Cameron, Pat Clear, Dan Sipowicz, Jack Waters, Don DuPrey, and Melissa Rock. May you all Rest in Peace.
Sincerely, Julie Montello Auxiliary President