Category: Extension & Revitalization/Chief of Staff

Laurie Williamson 601-517-0309 Email online report form

As we move from Thanksgiving to Christmas, we have to remember our Mission…taking care of our Veterans, Active Service Members and their Families. But we also need to make sure our Auxiliary Brothers and Sisters are taken care of too. Check on those that you may not have seen in a while. Include all your members in Post activities. For any of your members that may be alone at Christmas, find time to visit and make them feel like a part of our Auxiliary Family. 

I’m still waiting on Inspection reports…Districts 3, 5 and 7? Have they been completed and the reports just not sent to me? If anyone needs assistance completing their Inspections, please let Madam President Barbara or myself know. We can assist in getting them completed. And remember, be truthful about what is going on in the Auxiliaries. If you don’t tell us, we can’t help. Always better to catch the issues early. Healthy is what we are striving for in ALL of Auxiliaries. 

The Half-Way mark is here! June will be here before we know it. Let’s all continue to work to make Madam President Barbara’s year Great!!! 

I’m here to help you any where that I can. Just let me know what you need. May you all have a Blessed Christmas with Family and Friends. 

Yours in Service.

Laurie Williamson

I was so happy to see so many of you last month at our Council of
Administration/School of Instruction in Gulfport. So much wonderful information was shared by our knowledgable and dedicated Program Chairmen. Great information to SHARE with your Auxiliaries. Remember, the information you learn at our Department meetings is not private. It is meant to be shared with those of your members that are unable to attend.

District Presidents…I know you are getting those Inspections taken care of. Please make sure you are sending those copies to the Dept. President, the Dept. Secretary and to me. We need you to be honest on these reports to insure that any issues can be addressed sooner rather than later. I would love for all the Inspections to be completed by December 31, 2023. Congratulations to District 4, President Dawn, for completing ALL the Auxiliary Inspections and sending them to me. Thank you President Dawn.

To all those that will be going to Southern Conference in Tulsa…Make sure you attend the Program Presentations by the Departments. A lot of information will be shared.

As I write this, the Institution for the New Stone County Auxiliary is just days away. We hope to see many of those new members at our Mid-Winter Conference in January.

Remember why you are a member of this Great Organization. We are all working towards the same goal…Support for our Veterans, Active Duty Military and their families. That’s it!!! And we can accomplish so much when we all work TOGETHER.

Let’s make this an Amazing year for the Department of Mississippi and Madam President Barbara.

Laurie Williamson

WELCOME TO EXTENSION & REVITALIZATION!!!
I want to start this Program year off with a couple of things we all know, but sometimes need to be
reminded of;
5 Essentials of an Auxiliary
The National Organization requires only five (5) things of an Auxiliary:

1. Auxiliaries should have at least ten (10) business meetings per year. (Sec. 210) Five
   members in good standing, of that Auxiliary SHALL constitute a quorum for the
   transaction of business. (Sec. 212)
2. Dues should be paid by at least ten (10) members on or before February 1 of the
   current year. (Sec. 207)
3. Quarterly Audits by Trustees MUST be submitted. (Sec. 814)
4. Officers elected, installed and reported to National Headquarters no later than June 30.
   This generates the bond application via email. (Sec.804A and 806A)
5. The offices of the President and the Treasurer MUST be bonded by August 31.
   Maintaining Current Auxiliaries
   The National Organization has developed many resources for members to use. The Online Auxiliary
   Academy offers everything from videos to PDF files to Power Point presentations to help strengthen
   your Auxiliary. MALTA also offers valuable tools in Member Resources. These resources have proven
   to be helpful in assisting Auxiliaries be more productive.
6. The Healthy Auxiliary Tool Kit includes seven (7) resources to assist Auxiliaries in
   identifying and solving issues:
   ▪ Healthy Auxiliary Checklist
   ▪ Healthy Auxiliary Member Questionnaire
   ▪ Auxiliary Meeting Clinic
   ▪ Communication Phone/Text Tree
   ▪ Good Job Certificate
   ▪ Healthy Auxiliary Certificate
   ▪ VFW Auxiliary Mentoring Guide
7. Building on the VFW Auxiliary Foundation can educate members on duties of the
   Officers, how to be a Chairman and the Why of reporting. As well as more valuable
   information.
   Working with your Auxiliary is the only to identify issues and solve them before it gets out of hand.

EXTENSION & REVITALIZATION

Laurie C. Williamson

I would like to thank Madam President Barbara for appointing me as her Chief of Staff for the upcoming year.  I will do everything in my power to help our Officers and Ambassadors.  I am looking forward to a productive year under President Barbara’s leadership.

As Chief of Staff and Extension & Revitalization Ambassador, I am here to provide guidance, resources and the tools needed to help our District Presidents, Auxiliary Presidents and Chairmen keep our Auxiliaries functioning in a healthy manner.  I will do my best to be a sounding board for those that need to talk out a problem or concern.  We need to ensure that Auxiliaries are conducting business in a way that works for their members and those members feel empowered and engaged.

The Department Chief of Staff and the District Presidents should always work together.  The District President must be honest in their assessment of the Auxiliaries in their District.  The Official Visit Report is the only way that President Barbara and I will know if an Auxiliary is in trouble or needs a little help.  It is the responsibility of the District President to be honest in their assessment of the Auxiliary and make sure that it is in good working order.  And when you see those “Red Flags”, the sooner we can catch those, the better.

I want us all to work on those Unaffiliated (Bachelor) Posts.  District Presidents, let President Barbara or myself know about those in your District.  President Barbara can set up a committee to go and present all the reasons that they need an Auxiliary.

Remember, we are all in this together.  The healthier our Auxiliaries are, the healthier the Department is.  Let’s all work together!

Please, contact me for any questions, concerns or issues.

 601-517-0309