Monthly Blog

Legislative Jan 25

Rebecca Todd 901-262-8183 email

Happy New Year y’all!!

It is a brand new year and we need to continue being active in our legislative advocacy. This past year, the Elizabeth Dole Act was finally passed and is waiting the president’s signature to be signed into law. This will improve benefits for veterans and caregivers. Unfortunately, the Major Richard Star Act did not pass, even though it had much support. We have to continue our support of this much needed bill for reform of retirement pay and disability compensation.

Remember to keep pushing our legislators and letting our voices be heard! I urge you to sign up for Action Corp weekly, if you are not already.  This allows you to receive Action Alerts.  These let you know your voice is needed immediately in support of legislation that improves our veterans lives.
If you need help signing up for Action Corp weekly, call me and I will get you hooked up.
Together we can do this!

Veterans & Family Support Jan 25

Monica Jones 769-299-8133 email

Now with the holidays over and the New Year in full swing this is a great time to each out and check on your home bound veterans. A phone call, card, or a drop in visit. It could make a world of difference. 

If you or someone you know needs support now. call or text 988. 

Please get the message out.

It is the new number for suicide and crisis lifeline. Try promoting this on your social media. Even in your local paper. 

To chat with someone online 988lifeline.org

There is hope.!

Historian Jan 25

Lisa Thompson 662-586-8870 email

As in the past VFW and VFW Auxiliary members have honors the legacy of
Martin Luther King Jr
On January 15th 2024 this year encourage your members to volunteer in their communities
create a video and submit it to your local news channel
or even create a Youtube video of the days events
Picture taking is a must – which you will need after creating your Youtube channel for uploading purposes
post on Facebook or Instagram or if you get more enthralled a Youtube channel video may do the trick

You can participate in the VFW Day of Service by:
Telling the VFW if you or your post will be participating
Including other organizations participating in or benefiting from the event
Hosting a community service event
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Make sure you have a google account and a gmail email address before creating the Youtube channel
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Creating a personal channel
Sign in to YouTube on a computer.
Click your profile picture. Settings .
Click Add or manage your channel(s).
Click Create a channel .
You’ll be asked to create a channel.
Check the details (with your Google Account name and photo) and confirm to create your channel.

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Create a channel with a business or other name

Follow these instructions to create a channel that can have more than one manager or owner.
You can connect your channel to a Brand Account if you want to use a different name on YouTube than your Google Account. Learn more about Brand Accounts.
Sign in to YouTube on a computer or the mobile site.
Go to your channel list.
Choose to create a new channel or use an existing Brand Account:
Create a channel by clicking Create a new channel.
Create a YouTube channel for a Brand Account that you already manage by choosing the Brand Account from the list. If this Brand Account already has a channel, you can’t create a new one. When you select the Brand Account from the list, you’ll be switched over to that channel.
Fill out the details to name your new channel. Then, click Create. This will create a new Brand Account.
To add a channel manager, follow the instructions to change channel owners and managers.

Have Fun Y’all 

Scholarships Jan 25

Lanell Thornton (662)549-2856 email

Happy New Year!

It’s the start of a new year and new beginnings.

Happy New Year to all of you! I am so excited to start the New Year off with Mid-Winter Conference in Tupelo, January 24-26, 2025. At our Mid-Winter meeting, I will recognize three Auxiliary members who have really shone in promoting our scholarships. I won’t reveal who they are on here – you must come to Mid-Winter to find out! I plan to give each one a small token of my appreciation for their scholarship promotion.

On Saturday, January 25, we will recognize our Department Voice of Democracy winner at our Mid-Winter Banquet. As an auxiliary, we assisted VFW with promoting their scholarships, as well as collecting the essays and judging them. We have also assisted the VFW in recognizing and rewarding the winners with certificates and trophies/plaques.

Our next scholarship deadline is February 15, 2025. The Continuing Education Scholarship is available for VFW Auxiliary members and their immediate family members. The auxiliary member must have been a member for at least 1 year. Only their immediate family members (self, spouse, and children) are eligible to apply. Four (4) recipients are chosen each year by the National VFW Auxiliary. Each of these recipients represents the four conferences in the VFW and its Auxiliary: Big 10, Southern, Western, and Eastern. The award amount is $1250 and is paid directly to the university, college, or trade school of the recipient’s choice.

Please encourage local youth, grades 9-12 to apply for the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest and the 3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest. Go online to MALTA, under Resources, and request brochures that give more details of these two contests. These brochures are sent to you free of charge. Share the brochures with local art teachers, church youth leaders, youth organizations, and your family members in grades 9-12. This is another great opportunity for our youth to demonstrate their patriotic values through art.

Just a friendly reminder of future deadlines:

· February 15, 2025 – Continuing Education Scholarship for VFW Auxiliary members and immediate family (spouse and children)

· March 31, 2025 – Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest (grades 9-12)

· March 31, 2025 – 3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest (grades 9-12)

Youth Jan 25

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!

Aux Outreach Dec 24

Michele Brinson 901-734-8160 email

Hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving. Before we know it, Christmas and the New Year will be here. As you know, this time of year is filled with so many wonderful opportunities to volunteer and partner with organizations to help others; for example: serving meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas, collecting coats for kids, sorting gifts for the Angel Tree program, packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child, helping with Breakfast with Santa programs, and so much more. Also, there is also still a need for volunteers to collect and pack donations for the Hurricane Helene and Milton victims. 

Bambi Johnson, our National Auxiliary Outreach Ambassador, is asking each Department Ambassador to share some of the most outstanding projects and send her one or two of our best examples of our members partnering with other organizations by January 10, 2025. She plans to share this with everyone during the Mid-Winter Conference. So, I can’t wait to see your reports and pictures of all of your amazing volunteer activities. 

As a reminder, this year’s theme is From Our Roots to Our Branches, Extending Service To Our Veterans (and to their families, our communities, and to organizations within our communities). So, let’s take another look at what Auxiliary Outreach is and what your auxiliary can do to help make a difference and to help others. 

Steps to a Successful Auxiliary Outreach Project: 

– Vote and approve a motion to provide assistance and partner with other organizations in your community in your meeting and record that approval in your meeting minutes. Approval should occur prior to the outreach activity except on rare occasions such as a natural disaster or emergency. You can do this where it covers all activities/ partnerships for the entire year or prior to each activity/partnership as they occur. 

– Partner with organizations that could use assistance. 

– At least one Auxiliary member must participate in order to be counted as auxiliary outreach, and projects may be done by only the Auxiliary or together with the VFW Post.

– Wear VFW Auxiliary attire while participating (shirt, hat, name badge, lanyard, etc.). 

– Take pictures of all the amazing things you are doing in your communities and share with other auxiliaries, your Department Historian, National Headquarters, and with me. 

– Count all volunteer hours (but not monetary donations). 

– Share information about the VFW Auxiliary; i.e., what we do, why we do it, how someone can become a member, etc. 

What’s Considered Auxiliary Outreach: 

– Projects not affiliated with the VFW or VFW Auxiliary. 

– Volunteer your time to collect needed items for organizations who serve the community. 

– Participate in walks that benefit other organizations such as an event spotter, water station volunteer, timekeeper, etc. ( etc. – Partner with animal shelters by volunteering to help clean kennels, walk animals, collect bedding, cleaning supplies, dog/cat food, leashes, etc. 

– Partner with homeless shelters by serving food, bussing tables, cleaning up, etc. 

– Partner with food pantries/banks or Meals on Wheels to stock shelves, pack food boxes, serve food, pass out food boxes, deliver meals, etc. 

– Partner with the Red Cross or other groups at their blood drives. 

– Partner with organizations that provide clothing, household goods, furniture, appliances, bedding, etc., by sorting items, passing out items, collecting needed items, etc.; such as House of Grace, Hope Ministries, Sacred Heart, etc. 

– Partner with organizations that provide medical equipment; i.e., wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, etc., by collecting needed items. 

– Partner with a church hosting a community-wide event Easter egg hunt, trunk or treat, breakfast with Santa; Vacation Bible School, fall festivals, health screenings, etc. 

Auxiliary Outreach Program Award: 

Most outstanding photo collage created by the VFW Auxiliary of their auxiliary Outreach partnerships during the current Program Year. Citation and $25 to one VFW Auxiliary in each of the 10 Program Divisions that creates the most outstanding photo collage of their VFW Auxiliary partnerships during the current Program Year. 

Thank you to Auxiliaries 3036, 7531, 9832, and 12124 for all that you are doing and for reporting your activities. As a reminder, please submit your reports and include the number of volunteers, the number of hours spent volunteering, and the name of the organization you helped. 

Also, please be sure to send pictures of your auxiliary activities to me and to Lisa D. Mayer-Thompson, our Historian, on or before January 10, 2025.

If anyone has any questions or needs assistance, please feel free to contact me. May God bless each of you and your families and help us to continue to bless others. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Scholarship Dec 24

Lanell Thornton (662)549-2856 email

TOOT! TOOT!

(Ship-speak for “Merry Christmas!”)

It’s Christmas time already!

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from my family to yours. I pray that you all have a safe and happy holiday with family and friends.

By this time Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen winners have been selected by area VFW Posts and have gone on for judging at the district level. Most districts have already chosen their winners, which will now go on to the Department level. Best of luck to all the young people who submitted entries and shared their ideas and beliefs on democracy and patriotism with our veterans.

Our next scholarship deadline is coming up February 15, 2025. It’s the Continuing Education Scholarship for VFW Auxiliary members and their immediate family members. Remember that the auxiliary member must have been a member for at least 1 year. Only their immediate family members (self, spouse, and children) are eligible to apply. Four (4) recipients are chosen each year by the National VFW Auxiliary. Each of these recipients represents the four conferences in the VFW and its Auxiliary: Big 10, Southern, Western, and Eastern. The award amount is $1250 and is paid directly to the university, college, or trade school of the recipient’s choice.

I would like to ask that you encourage local youth, grades 9-12 to apply for the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest and the 3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest. Go online to MALTA, under Resources, and request brochures that give more details of these two contests. These brochures are sent to you free of charge. Share the brochures with local art teachers, church youth leaders, youth organizations, and your family members in grades 9-12. This is another great opportunity for our youth to demonstrate their patriotic values.

Just a friendly reminder of future deadlines:

· February 15, 2025 – Continuing Education Scholarship for VFW Auxiliary members and immediate family (spouse and children)

· March 31, 2025 – Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest (grades 9-12)

· March 31, 2025 – 3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest (grades 9-12)

Hospital Dec 24

Betty Ashmus 228-990-6969 email

Hoping everyone had a safe, healthy and great time with the family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday, and now what do we have in mind for our veterans for the Christmas season?

At the Community Living Center in Biloxi VA Hospital, I spied a Christmas tree with Angels as the decorations. Upon closer inspection, the angels were ‘Santa’ request for gifts from the veterans. Do you have such a ‘tree’ in your facility? I thought that was pretty cool, request coming from adults. On second thought, why not? They can’t get out and shop for things they need and we are able to grant some of their wishes. Why not ‘adopt’ some of these veterans? Their request were simple things like shaving cream, T shirts, shower gel, candy. In the past, we have ‘stuffed’ toilet tissue tubes with candy, hand towel tubes with tooth brush and tooth paste, discarded medicine bottles with first aid supplies and sewing kits.

The list is endless and I have my information at the close of this bulletin for any other ideas you can come up with and we can share them. I love hearing from you. We can also sign all the cards you receive in the mail that you will never use and bring them to the hospital or nursing homes to the elderly or shut-ins in your community. Hospital work is not all done at the Veterans Hospital or the Veterans Home. I found out about a private home that houses 5 wheelchair bound veterans and we are decorating large shoe boxes and filling them with goodies. (And they don’t even know the boxes are coming) Can’t wait to see the looks on their faces. But I don’t have to tell you about helping our true heroes.

You have been doing a great job in your respective areas with all you do now. This is the season for giving to others and who else would be more grateful for our giving efforts? Lets keep in mind this season those who are less fortunate and make their holiday extra special with a visit and a smile on your face, believe it or not, you’ll come away with a really good feeling. Until next year, be safe, be healthy and enjoy the holidays with friends and family.

God bless America and God bless out veterans.

Yours in service to our true heroes,

Betty P. Doucet Ashmus