Category: Youth Activities

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

Hi everyone. The year is winding down and we have had a great year. I have already received numerous entries in the Illustrating America Contest. I hope to receive many more. Remember the deadline for having your entries turned into the Department is April 15.

I hope that you all have Youth Activities planned for this Spring, Easter Egg Hunts, community projects, and much more. Working with our youth has to be a priority. Continue reading to them and teaching the values that have made this country so great. They are our future and deserve our time and attention

Shout Out to St. James Wright VFW Auxiliary 5347 for participating in the Read Across America event at Hawkins Elementary School. They read, A is for America and The Worn -Out Flag to over 75 children that day. Youth Chairman, Lonnie Harger, reported that the children were “incredibly engaged, asking thoughtful questions about the Statue of Liberty and even wondering when we might have a female president one day”. That is exactly what the Youth Program should be, teaching and inspiring young people to be their best. Congratulations St James Wright for a job well done!

I will announce the winners of Illustrating America at our State Convention. Until then please keep doing great work and stay safe.

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email report form

Hi everyone. Spring is just around the corner. Everyone should be keeping in touch with their contacts for the Illustrating America Contest. The deadline for the art to be submitted is March 31. After your Auxiliary chooses your winners, your submissions must be turned into the Department by April 15. They are due at National Headquarters by May 5. We have a very tight schedule so please submit your entries in a timely manner. Remember there are three categories, K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. You may submit one entry per category to the Department for judging.

Spring offers all manner of opportunities to work with youth groups. We have St. Patrick’s Day in March, Easter coming up in April and Memorial Day in May. A great opportunity to work with our youth is to observe Dr. Suess Day on March 2. Why not read a Dr. Suess book to a class or group of children. You could even dress the part, like the Cat in the Hat, or have breakfast with Green Eggs and Ham. Please make an effort to include children in your Memorial Day observance. We need to teach them the importance of the sacrifices made so they can live in freedom.

I look forward to receiving all of your entries for Illustrating America. Contact me for my address and please make sure you package them well so that they are not damaged in transport. Be sure to mark the packages as Fragile, Art Work. We are having issues with USPS packages for our area getting stuck in Jackson, sometimes for weeks. Please mail your packages with tracking numbers and mail them as many days ahead of the deadline as you can. Also please shoot me an email or text that something is on its way so I can be on the lookout for it. Thanks for all of your help.

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

Happy Valentines Day to everyone. The Youth Program is moving right along. Did you know that Valentines Week is also National Salute to Veteran Patients Week? Get your schools and youth groups involved in making Valentines for our veterans that are hospitalized or confined to a nursing home. The veterans would love a handmade valentine from one of the kids.

As promised, the winners of our coloring contest were announced at Mid-Winter Conference. The winner of the K-2nd grade group is Derrick, from Johnson Elementary School in Jackson. Derrick is sponsored by Brooks W. Stewart Auxiliary Post 9832. The winner of the 3rd-5th grade group is Kaylee, from Hawking Elementary in Hattisburg. Kaylee is sponsored by Saint James Wright Auxiliary Post 5397. They were each awarded an Art Set and $10.00 to spend as they wish.

I hope all of you have your Illustrating America Contest underway and are keeping in contact with your schools and youth groups about the deadlines. The deadline for the art to be turned into the Auxiliaries is March 31. The Auxiliary winners must be sent to Department by April 15.

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Make sure you print new forms as there are changes to the rules.

The SWAP this month is from Brooks W. Stewart Auxiliary Post 9832 in Jackson. This is the second year that the Auxiliary and Post are jointly sponsoring the Heart Over the Hammer Event. This event targets teens and young adults, providing them with tools and resources to cope with the challenges of today’s society. The event offers health screenings, mental health counseling, career counseling, and much more. The goal is to provide our youth outlets and solutions before they encounter difficulties, by creating a meaningful exchange of thoughts and ideas between the generations. Heart Over the Hammer is scheduled for March 8, 2025, 10:00am-2:00pm at Brooks W. Stewart VFW Post 9832.

I love sharing SWAPS with you. Please email me details about your youth events so I can share them with Auxiliaries across the state. My email is . Thanks for all of your hard work.

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

Happy New Year. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year brings you many blessings. It is time to really crank up our efforts promoting the Illustrating America Contest. All of your promotional materials, rules, and applications can be found in MALTA under Member Resources Youth Program. Please print out new applications as there have been changes to the rules this year. The student’s name, age, and grade level must be printed on the back of the entry and mats are no longer required to be white. March 31 will be here before you know it.

This month’s SWAP is from St. James Wright, VFW Auxiliary 5397. The VFW and Auxiliary jointly hosted a tea entitled Cupcakes and Conversation. The members met with a troop of 16 Girl Scouts. The subject was career goals and educational requirements for different career paths. This is a great example of mentorship for our young people. I’m sure a lot of knowledge was shared and both the adults and the young people benefited from the experience.

Don’t forget the deadline to apply for the Youth Activities National Program Award is March 31. The form can be found under Youth Activities in MALTA.

Please keep emailing your Youth Activities so that I can feature them in our monthly newsletter. My email is . Thank you!

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

Merry Christmas, everyone! I can’t believe that 2024 is almost over. I know that you all have had some wonderful youth activities at your post or in the community. I need a favor from you all. Please send some pictures of your youth activities to me. I would love to create a collage of all the great things Mississippi is doing with its young people. You can email them to me at email.

I’ll share SWAP with you from District 6 Auxiliary. For Veterans Day, they did a program at the Attala Co. Library. District Commander Grayce Powell was their guest. A patriotic book was read and they taught the children how to salute and pledge the flag. There are plans for additional programs at the library in the future.

I’m getting lots of reports from different auxiliaries. However, there really isn’t room on the report form to expound on the details of your events. So, if you would, please send me an email about your youth events. I would love to feature a SWAP in each newsletter. And don’t forget you can submit your reading programs for the national citation.

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I can’t believe it’s November already. The year has just flown. I want to remind you that your Coloring Contest entries are due at the Auxiliary level on Oct 31. Please judge them at the Auxiliary level and send your winners to me by December 1st. I will get them judged and present prizes at Mid-Winter Convention in January. 

November is full of holidays that present opportunities for us to interact with our young people. These are just a few. If you Google you can find many more.

National Author’s Day is Nov. 1. Why not share a favorite childhood author with a group of children.

Nov. 7 is National Hug a Bear Day. Invite children to bring their Teddy and have a Teddy Bear Tea Party with Hot Cocoa and Cookies.

Veterans Day is Nov 11. There are many opportunities to incorporate young people in our Veterans Day Celebrations. It is a time to teach our young people what being a veteran means and is always appreciated by our Veterans.

Thanksgiving is Nov. 28. There are so many opportunities to incorporate Thanksgiving into our Youth Program. Crafts for the younger children. Organize a food drive and let the older children help pack food boxes for the needy or homeless. The possibilities are limitless.

Please make sure you are contacting your schools, church groups, and children’s organizations about our Illustrating America Contest. March will be here before you know it. And don’t forget about our Reading in the Classroom Program. As always, please make sure you report any youth program activity on our report form at vfwauxms.org.

Thank you for all that you do.

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

Happy Fall everyone.

I’m so happy to see the cooler temperatures. Fall presents lots of opportunities to interact with our young people. Football games, fall festivals, and pumpkin patches are just a few.

Here’s an idea, work with one of your local pumpkin patches to teach flag etiquette or distribute Pledge of Allegiance cards one weekend. That is a great opportunity to reach a lot of children at one time. You could incorporate our Patriotism through Literacy program into that as well by providing a story time for the children. You could even dress up as a historical character, Betsy Ross telling the story of the flag would be awesome. Don’t forget to hand out your Illustrating America Applications either. I hope you take advantage of these opportunities and have some fun while doing it.

I want to remind everyone about our R.A.P card, Random Acts of Patriotism. It’s very import to reinforce behaviors in children so please print a few of these out from MALTA and keep them with you. Just the act of acknowledging and praising a child for being patriotic makes a lasting impression. 

Don’t forget about the Patriotic Youth Award and Youth Groups Supporting Veterans Citation either.

Remember the coloring contest entries are due to the auxiliaries by Oct. 31. Please choose a winner for each grade category and forward that one to me. We will choose the Department Winner at Mid-Winter Conference. 

I hope to see you all at Oct COA

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

Fall is fast approaching and school is back in full swing. I hope that all of you are working on your Patriotism through Literacy project. It’s wonderful to be able to interact in the schools but don’t forget public libraries, daycare centers, and church youth groups. Fall festival time is here so why not set up a booth for your Auxiliary and schedule times to read patriotic books to the children attending. You could actually work several of our programs through that one booth. You might even gain some new members.

It is time to start promoting our Illustrating America Program. Begin making your contacts at your local schools. I would suggest contacting the art teacher directly. Most schools have a website where they post information for parents. Why not send a press release to be placed on the website. A fillable press release can be found in MALTA.

The coloring sheets for the Department Coloring Contest are now on vfwauxms.org and your District President should have a copy for you. I’ve created an instruction sheet to go with them so that teachers and youth leaders have an idea of the intent of the contest. Those should be posted to the website shortly or you can contact me for a copy.

If you have any questions about any of the Youth Activities please contact me. Let’s have a great year!

Beth Crow 662-522-9481 email

It’s Back-to-School time and we are ready to get a great start to our year. I want to challenge each of our Auxiliaries to start a veterans reading in the classroom program. This supports our Patriotism through Literacy Program. Young people are the future of our organization so it is important to establish a good rapport with them. Establishing a relationship at an early age and instilling our values is crucial. There is a list of books in MALTA under the Youth Program tab at Patriotism Through Literacy Suggested Books 2022 (2).pdf. or download here Work with your VFW Youth Program Chair in a joint project to have the Veterans read once a month at your local elementary schools or library. Choose one of these books to donate as part of the program. It’s a win/win for everyone involved.

There is lots of news coming concerning reporting so please take the time to read your emails. I’m looking forward to a productive year. If any of you have questions or need help, please do not hesitate to contact me. Let’s have a great year working with our young people.

March has some little known or publicized holidays in it, one being National Anthem Day, March 3rd, and National K9 Veterans Day on March 13th. Could you consider having a celebration day at your local school for either of these, I’m sure the kids would love it and planning either would get your creative juices in overdrive. A very well known holiday is St. Patrick’s Day, a fun time to spend with children, looking for four leaf clovers and a great time to teach them how the Irish played a part in founding this great country.

(Sing along) Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail, hoppin’ down the bunny trail, hippidy hoppidy Easter’s on it’s way. We’re right around the corner to finishing the report year, at the end of this month, and I want to be sure ALL of you have been collecting the ‘eggs’ in the basket to turn in, (in case you haven’t already). This month is a very special month because of EASTER, my favorite holiday because the Lord has risen. It is also the time we can do a lot with our youth. Some ideas for your Easter egg hunts would be to fill some of those plastic eggs with tiny little American flags, or red, white and blue candies, or have a Patriotic Easter bunny as a grand prize for winners for the hunt. I know some of you have great ideas for the Easter theme.

Did anyone visit the schools for Presidents’ Day? Has anyone donated their time reading books from the library? Some really good reports have been coming in about work being done at the schools. And you don’t have to go to the schools to work with the youth, you can join them in the scouts or boy and girls club events. Some volunteer their time coaching baseball, football, soccer and even swimming.

These are the times when the children watch us and some ‘hang’ on every word we say and this is a time we can instill in them the love of country, patriotism and American values. Believe it or not, they are listening. We are setting the example so let’s please set a good one.

Hats off to all who have made this a great program to work with. May all the youth you have encountered leave with great memories of what they will take with them in their future. Signing off for now, Betty