October
CATEGORY 2. Memorial or Inspirational Displays (Wreaths, memorial tablets or plaques, patriotic or devotional themes)
(a) Displays must be designed to honor the dead, to inspire devotion to God and Country, or to dramatize the activities supported by the “Buddy”® Poppy.
(b) At least one (1) of the Poppies used in the display must be in its original form and color, with an original Poppy with tag attached.
Beth Crow 662-552-9481
Happy September Everyone! That’s right, it’s the time of year when we look forward to Game Time. We have our favorite teams and we look forward to “Kick Off” each week. The VFW Auxiliary is a TEAM also and each of you are players. So, it’s GAME TIME for the Scholarships Program.
I hope that you all have contacted your schools and established a contact person. If you are assisting the VFW with Patriots Pen and Voice of Democracy, that information needs to be in the schools already. Don’t forget your private schools and home school associations when distributing your information.
Please set aside some time during your next meeting to talk about the Continuing Education Scholarship. These are challenging times. Many people are in the midst of changing careers. This scholarship could be the boost that makes that happen. Remember, it is open to any member in good standing for 1 year, their spouse, or their child. The applicant must be 21 years old by the deadline of Feb 15.
Start promoting our Young American Patriotic Art Contest and 3-D Patriotic Art Contest now. You can order flyers from VFWAuxiliary.org or print flyers from MALTA under the Scholarships Program. Please distribute these flyers to the Art Teachers at your schools and ask for time to talk to the students about the scholarships. If your school has a PTO or PTA contact the president and ask for time to address the members. Again, don’t forget your private and home schools when you’re distributing your information.
Let’s think of non-traditional ways to promote our Scholarships Program.
These are just a few ideas. I know that you can come up with many more innovative ideas to promote our Scholarships. Don’t forget to report, report, report!
It’s GAME TIME so let’s KICK OFF the year with a TOUCHDOWN and really SCORE BIG!
– Check should be earmarked National Home Health & Happiness. DO NOT SEND ANY donations to the National Home through the Dept. Treasurer. Health and Happiness donations to the NHC are Based on June 30, 2023 membership.
.10 cents per member ___________
Or
.25 cents per member____________
Send to:
VFW AUXILIARY 406 West 34th Street, 10th Floor, Kansas City, MO 64111.
Membership Flyer for August 23
Lights, Camera, Action! Here we go everyone. Are you ready for a fun-filled year of movies and mayhem? This year, we will be incorporating movies into our Membership Program, and we want to make it fun for all. I am looking forward to working with all of you this year and hope to see many of you at the Council of Administration (COA)/School of Instruction (SOI) in Gulfport on August 11 through 13, 2023. To get started, let’s look at what Membership means. Membership is the lifeblood of our organization, and I can think of no better way of honoring our veterans than belonging to an organization with the main purpose of taking care of and assisting our veterans and their families. Without members, we would not have the voice that we have and would not be able to accomplish the great things that we do in support of our veterans and their families. Think about it; without new and existing members, we will become just a memory. Who then will take care of our veterans?
We often use the terms Invite, Include, and Invest when talking about recruiting and retaining new members. However, we should use the terms to Invite New Members, Include Current Members, and Invest in the Future of All Members and Our Organization. Our Mission goals are simple.
Invite & Recruit
Recruiting up-and-coming stars is a cornerstone of your Auxiliary’s mission. Be sure to keep scouting for that talent in your new recruits to help keep your organization alive and active. As members/talent scouts, it’s up to you to chat up a storm about our organization and show your enthusiasm about who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Also, be sure to invite more members to be talent scouts and then ask our seasoned members/actors to help guide, encourage, and motivate our newbies and get them involved. Our seasoned members have a wealth of knowledge and experience and can offer sound advice and, in turn, our newbies can show our seasoned members how to use new technology to enhance and expand our organization.
Always be sure to carry at least a couple of applications with you and a Fact Sheet or two about our organization. Fact Sheets help solidify what you are promoting and definitely may come in handy because you never know when the perfect opportunity may arise to recruit that up-and-coming star. Think about asking your potential members to come to an event and help in some capacity and, most importantly, put on your happy face and SMILE for the camera! See how easy it is to get people involved and connected?
Include Everyone
Now it’s time to get all cast and crew members involved in your Auxiliary. No matter how small or how large the jobs are in your Auxiliary, there is always something for everyone to do. Please don’t become a clique and make someone feel as if they aren’t needed because that’s a great way to lose a member quickly! Remember, we were all newbies once upon a time and learned as time went by from seasoned members who took the time to help and encourage us. New members need to feel welcomed and valued and need encouragement to help them stay positive.
This also means that you should shine a light on all members in your Membership Production. For example, did your Auxiliary President appoint a membership team to include the producer (Treasurer) to contact all members during the Program Year for payment of dues?
Follow Up
Before every movie progresses, Lights, Camera, Action!, you need to have a read through with the cast and crew. This is when you need to follow up with these new members. It’s when you need to call them about the upcoming meeting or event. Do they need a ride? Could you meet them before the meeting or event? It would also be a great time to explain the Rituals and Bylaws so they don’t feel left out and in the dark. Sit with them at their first meeting and make them feel welcomed! Always make potential members aware of the importance of the goals of our organization.
Encourage Participation
Everyone is important to making a great award-winning movie. The same holds true for your Auxiliary. From the key grip to the cameraman to the director, it’s up to each and every one of us to encourage ideas from all members. Remember, all ideas are important and maybe with some slight modification, they can work in your Auxiliary. Don’t shoot down an idea because it has been tried before. Give it a shot and try it with a different approach; it could turn into a star-worthy project. Everyone has different strengths and skills. Find out who excels in certain skills and encourage them in that area. Always be positive and appreciate all that members do. A simple thank you goes a long way, and it helps reinforce that ALL members are important to the Auxiliary.
Resources
There are a ton of membership resources available for everyone to use. Check out Member Resources in MALTA. It has everything you need to garner your potential new member. Just log in to MALTA and click on Member Resources and then Membership. Everything you need is there for the picking. • VFW Auxiliary Applications; • VFW Auxiliary Brochure Order Form; • New Member Engagement Guide; • New Member Orientation Checklist; • New Member Packet; • Retention Tools; etc. Our Directors (Conference Coaches) were chosen for their knowledge of the Membership Program, their strong leadership traits, and their great imagination. They pay attention to details as you can see with their taste in movies. They work well with others and are striving to help their Conference earn the coveted “Golden MALTA.” It is the dream of every Director to have their Membership story win the prestigious award for Best Picture of the 2023- 2024 Program Year. Let’s all “Band Together” to help make this happen for our Southern States Conference Coach/Director, Evan Smiley. How can we make this happen?
By investing in the future of your Auxiliary, you can grow into a successful franchise. With Lights, Camera, Action!, not only are we having fun, but we’re also Banding Together for Our Veterans. Remember, the VFW Auxiliary started with a small group of women who wanted to serve veterans; it has grown exponentially and now includes both males and females as members. There is only one way to add members: ask someone to join and, once they join, ask them to participate.
There are numerous places and times to ask someone if they want to join the VFW Auxiliary. Your approach will look different depending on who your audience is. In all cases, the potential member should have some knowledge of what the VFW Auxiliary is and what we do before they ever receive an application. Some important tools are: • Fact Sheet, available for free from National Headquarters; • Business card with contact information (Order yours from the VFW Store, vfwstore.org.); • MALTA Member Resources.
Most likely, the first time you talk to someone new about the organization, that person may not be ready to commit. It’s important to ask for their contact information and then follow up within a week.
The key to keeping members is getting them involved. Call or email a new member within a week with the next meeting date and time or the next possible event or project. Offer to pick them up, or invite them to get coffee before or after a meeting. Put a team of members in charge of contacting new members or members who haven’t been to a meeting recently. The team should be friendly and knowledgeable about the Auxiliary.
• Monthly sign-up sheet for regular events.
• Emails and phone calls for special events.
• Public recognition of current volunteers. (Consider posters at your VFW Post Home, if permitted, that spotlight member involvement.)
• Be specific about what they will be doing, including the time commitment.
• Find out how that person best communicates, whether by phone, email, Facebook, or texting.
• Have another member stay with them for the entire length of the activity or event.
• If they say “no” to the first invitation, be sure to ask again!
• Plan family-friendly events! Members with children in the home want opportunities to do things with their family.
Every Department and Auxiliary should have a Membership Plan. This plan should include:
Membership Program Awards
1. Lights, Camera, Action! pin to each VFW and VFW Auxiliary member who recruits five (5) new members to the VFW Auxiliary from July 1, 2023, through May 31, 2024. The Department Treasurer must enter membership in MALTA with credit given to the recruiter by June 10, 2024. Lights, Camera, Action! pin will be mailed directly to the member from National Headquarters.
2. National Membership Achievement Award to each VFW and VFW Auxiliary member who recruits 20 new members to the VFW Auxiliary from July 1, 2023, through May 31, 2024. The Department Treasurer must enter membership in MALTA with credit given to the recruiter by June 10, 2024. NMA Award to be presented at the 2024 National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. If a member is not in attendance, the award will be mailed directly to the member from National Headquarters after the National Convention.
3. Lights, Camera, Action! VFW Auxiliary Recruiter Drawing. Each VFW Auxiliary National Membership Achievement Award recipient will be entered into a drawing to receive a $500 Visa Gift Card (VFW Recruiters are not eligible). Recruiter Award Forms are no longer needed for VFW Auxiliary members. Reports are compiled by VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters from information entered in MALTA. VFW members who recruit new VFW Auxiliary members will need to fill out the required VFW members-only form that is available on MALTA Member Resources. Completed form must be received at VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters and Department Treasurer must enter membership in MALTA by June 10, 2024.
1. $25 to each Auxiliary that reaches 98% Plus in Membership by March 31, 2024*.
2. $25 to each Auxiliary that reaches 100% Plus in Membership by June 30, 2024*.
3. Lights, Camera, Action! VFW Auxiliary Drawing. Each VFW Auxiliary that reaches 101% Plus by June 30, 2024* will be entered into a one time drawing to receive $500.
1. $25 VFW Store gift certificate to one Department Membership Chairman in each of the 10 Program Divisions for the most outstanding training and promotion of the Membership Program.
2. Outstanding Performance Award to one Department Membership Chairman in each of the 10 Program Divisions based on criteria listed on Page 5 and for the promotion of the Program Goals listed at the top of Page 42. Winners will be announced and awards presented at the 2024 National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
1. Bronze Department Award #1: $200 to each Department that reaches 95% Plus in Membership by November 30, 2023*.
2. Silver Department Award #2: $250 to each Department that reaches 98% Plus in Membership by March 31, 2024*.
3. Gold Department Award #3: $300 to each Department that reaches 100% Plus in Membership by June 30, 2024*.
4. Platinum Department Award #4: $400 to each Department that reaches 101% Plus in Membership by June 30, 2024*. Departments that receive the Platinum Department Award #4 for $400 will still receive the Gold Department Award #3 for $300 for a combined total of $700.
1. $50 to each Department within the Conference with the highest total percentage by January 31, 2024*.
2. $50 to each Department within the Conference with the highest total percentage by June 30, 2024*
*Based on the June 30, 2023, year-end membership numbers. Report Your Membership Activities Monthly. Please remember to complete the monthly reporting form on line at http://www.vfwauxms.org/report-forms/ or by completing the paper form and sending it to me via email at no later than the 5th day of each month if possible. If you have problems completing the reporting form online or sending it via regular mail or email, you may call me or text me with your information at 901/734-8160.
Let’s continue to honor our Veterans, our Service men and women, their families, our communities, and our organization by keeping our membership current, being involved/active, and asking others to join. Remember, our membership and service matter because alone we can do so little but, by “Banding Together,” we can do so much.
Soaring Above and Beyond for Veterans,
Michele M. Brinson
Department of Mississippi
Membership Chairman
It’s that time of year when the kids are headed back to school. Please make sure you have distributed your applications and pamphlets for Voice of Democracy and Patriots Pen to the appropriate contact at your local schools. These can be obtained at vfwauxiliary.org under the tab, “Scholarships and Contests” or behind MALTA in the Scholarships Section. Deadline for submitting to the Post is Oct. 31.
Voice of Democracy Theme: “What are the greatest attributes of our Democracy?”
Patriot’s Pen Theme: “How are you inspired by America?”
Please Educate your members on the Continuing Education Scholarship. VFW Auxiliary members, their spouse, or their children who are at least 21 years old are eligible for this scholarship. The deadline for the scholarship is Feb 15. Applications can be found at vfwauxiliary.org under the Scholarships and Contests tab or behind MALTA in the Scholarships Section. This scholarship could help make a big difference in the lives of our members
Please start contacting your local Art Teachers about the Young America Creative Patriotic Art Contest and 3-Dimensional Patriotic Contest. I know the deadline is March 31 but some of these projects can be very involved and take a lot of time. You can obtain Entry Forms at VFWAuxiliary.org under the Scholarships and Contests tab or in Malta under Member Resources. You may also order them from National Headquarters at vfwauxiliary.org/wp-content/uploads/VFW-Auxiliary-Brochure-Order-Form-updated.pdf.
Last but not Least, I want to congratulate you all in making Mississippi Number 1 in National Division 2 for Outstanding performance in Scholarships. Lanell did a fantastic job as Scholarship Chairman 2022/2023. I have some very big shoes to fill.
Again, I look forward to working with you all this year. I want us to really get out there and promote our Scholarship Programs. Working together we can have a banner year and make Mississippi shine.
Banding Together for our Veterans
Soaring Above and Beyond for Veterans”
Bulletin No. 2, August, 2023
The HOSPITAL PROGRAM is one of the first nationally adopted programs for the VFW Auxiliary. VFW Auxiliary members have been volunteering in hospitals since 1914 at the organization’s inception.
This year’s “National theme “Banding Together for our Veterans”, and the Department of Mississippi’s theme, “Soaring Above and Beyond for Veterans” assures the Hospital Program will be great again. The past few years has made it difficult to take care of our veterans like we wanted. The volunteer efforts of our members and working together with the hospitals, etc. will make a huge difference in the lives of our hospitalized veterans.
Volunteer Recruitment, Recognition and Support
This year, as in the past, one of the main objectives of the Hospital Program is the necessity to recruit new members! Every day the need to recruit new volunteers is crucial to offset millions of dollars in expenses in health care. Volunteers also create a friendly and caring atmosphere wherever they volunteer!
Here are some tips for recruiting:
Volunteers!
Volunteers can serve in local hospitals, Veterans’ homes, nursing homes, domiciliaries and both VA and non-VA medical clinics and facilities. Anyone can serve; Members, non-members, youth and families. Volunteers can do many things depending on the facility. Some facilities have varying types of opportunities to suit different ages and abilities. Some facilities have a volunteer program in place with specific jobs, events and needs. Whichever facility is available, make sure you know and follow the guidelines of the facility.
Auxiliary members can earn Hospital Volunteer Service Pins from National Headquarters. Your Auxiliary Hospital Chairman should keep track of all volunteers’ hours (both VA and non-VA) and submit an application for the pins. Non-members can earn a one-time only volunteer pin for 100 hours.
CELEBRATING NON-TRADITIONAL HOLIDAYS
Our veterans love celebrating the traditional holidays, but they would also enjoy celebrating some non-traditional holidays also. Some of these August Holidays are:
National Elvis Week, August 9-17, 2023 – Have a good time celebrating Elvis, songs or movies
National Cherry Popsicle Day – August 26, 2023 – bring a bunch of popsicles to the VA or Nursing Home. The patients will enjoy something different.
Plan an event that is different and usual!
AWARDS FOR MEMBERS
Program Divisions. Entry form (required) available at MALTA Member Resources
(vfwauxiliary.org/resources). Citations to be mailed directly to winners after National Convention.
Please bring items for the Hospital Table to Gulfport, MS for the August Council of Administration/School of Instruction.
Becki Todd Chairman
I would like to thank Madame President Barbara for allowing me to continue to chair this program as it is dear to my heart.
This program was started in 1947 and was originally known as the Rehabilitation Program. It has grown since then and become so much more. It now includes numerous programs under its umbrella but OUR goal is still the same. We have to care for and show support for our veterans, service members and their families.
This year’s National theme is “Banding Together for Our Veterans” and this should be OUR motto as we work together to support our veterans, service members and their families. This program is the heart of our organization. We need to make ourselves visible in our communities and spread awareness of the programs and aid available to our veterans, these include:
Our veterans have sacrificed so much for us, our service members continue to sacrifice as do all of their families so it is time for us to do all we can for them. As our MS Department theme says, “Let’s Soar Above and Beyond for Veterans” and show our support like never before.
My goal again this year is to have every auxiliary in our state participate in 2 or more of the above programs AND to report that for 100% participation. Remember to REPORT the SUPPORT!
In Flander’s Field by John McCrae
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.
From its inception, the Buddy Poppy Program has helped the VFW live up to its motto, “to honor the dead by helping the living.” The Buddy Poppy – small red flower symbolic of the blood shed in World War I by millions of Allied soldiers in defense of freedom – was originally sold to provide relief for the people of war devastated France. Later, its sale directly benefited thousands of disabled and down-and-out American veterans.
The poppy program actually got its start on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly after World War I, Madame E. Guerin, founder of the American and French Children’s League, became concerned that the free world was “forgetting too soon those sleeping in Flanders Fields.” Inspired by Colonel John McCrae’s poem, “In Flanders Field,” which spoke of poppies growing in an Allied graveyard “between the crosses, row on row,” Guerin decided on the poppy as the most appropriate memorial flower. She began attending the conventions of any serviceman’s organization that would allow her to speak. Her request was always the same – to enact the following resolution: “Be it resolved that every member, if possible, and his or her family shall wear a silk red poppy.”
The poppy program was quickly embraced by the people of France, and also secured the sponsorship of the Prince of Wales, the Governors General of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and the President of Cuba. In each of these countries, veteran’s organizations and their auxiliaries agreed to sell memorial poppies for the benefit of the children of France.
In April 1919, the “Poppy Lady,” as Madame Guerin was now known, arrived in the United States. She came to speak in support of the “Victory Loan” – financial assistance to help France’s homeless and jobless get back on their feet. While stateside, she asked the newly formed American Legion to sponsor the poppy program in the United States. At their second national convention in Cleveland in September 1920, the American Legion passed a resolution making the poppy their official flower. At the next year’s convention, however, the delegates repudiated the poppy and instead adopted the daisy as the organization’s official flower. Subsequently, Madame Guerin reported that her “deception was great on the 23rd of January [1922] to hear that the American Legion Auxiliary had taken the Idea to sponsor FOR THEMSELVES the Poppy Day of the U.S.”
When the Poppy Lady turned to the VFW for help, the organization readily agreed to take over from the American Legion. In May 1922, the VFW conducted the first nationwide distribution of poppies in the United States. Then, at its National Encampment in Seattle in August 1922, the organization adopted the poppy as the official memorial flower of the VFW.
Following the success of the VFW’s first poppy sale, the American Legion had second thoughts about its withdrawal from the program.
A disgruntled American Legion was not the only problem to plague the VFW’s poppy program in the early years. The American and French Children’s League (sometimes referred to as the Franco-American Children’s League) had been dissolved shortly before the VFW’s 1922 poppy sale. Much of the poppy supply went with it. Consequently, the VFW had great difficulty obtaining enough poppies for the 1923 sale.
From the frustrations of the 1923 sales year evolved a plan to pay disabled and needy American veterans to make the poppies. This plan was presented to the 1923 National Encampment for approval. Immediately following the plan’s adoption, a VFW poppy factory was set up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All veterans who would be manufacturing poppies for the 1924 sale were sent to a training workshop by the U.S. Veterans Bureau regional manager in Pittsburgh.
It was from these early disabled poppy makers that the name which would be the flower’s trademark came. The name just “grew” out of the poppy makers’ remembrances of their buddies who never came back from war. Undoubtedly, because it expressed so simply the deepest significance of the Poppy Plan, the name stuck. All over the country, the little red flower became known as the “Buddy Poppy.”
In February 1924, the VFW registered the name “Buddy Poppy” with the U.S. Patent Office. On May 20, 1924, a certificate was issued granting the VFW, under the classification of artificial flowers, all trademark rights to the name of “Buddy.” No other organization, firm, or individual can use the name “Buddy Poppy.” The VFW has made this trademark a guarantee that all poppies bearing that name and the VFW label are the work of bona fide disabled and needy veterans. After the 1924 sale, some of the larger state departments of the VFW suggested that it might improve local sales if the poppies used were made by hospitalized veterans from their own area. The delegates at the 1924 National Encampment agreed. They ruled that poppies would now be made throughout the U.S. by disabled veterans in government hospitals and by needy veterans in workshops supervised by the VFW. Currently the little red flowers of silk-like fabric are assembled in eleven different locations. The VA Facilities in which they are made are located in:
Leavenworth and Topeka, Kansas; Biloxi, Mississippi; Temple, Texas; Martinsburg, West Virginia; Hampton, Virginia; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Dayton, Ohio; and White City and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
From the start of the VFW’s poppy program, the U.S. Veterans Bureau, the Administrator of Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies have supported the Buddy Poppy. And beginning with Warren G. Harding, U.S. presidents have also been staunch supporters of the program. Each year, a Poppy Girl or Poppy Boy selected from the National Home’s residents starts the annual campaign by presenting the first poppy to the president of the United States.
Today, there are strict rules governing how profits from Buddy Poppy sales are to be used at different levels within the organization. The National organization assesses a tax of three and one-half cents on every poppy sold to a state department. This tax is added to the cost of manufacturing and distributing the poppy. Tax revenues are allotted as follows: one and one-half cents to the service fund of the department that purchased the poppy, one cent to the VFW National Home, and one cent to the Veterans Service fund of the National Headquarters.
At the department level, an additional tax is normally added to the cost of the poppies it sells to the posts in its jurisdiction. This profit is used to fund department service work or other programs for the relief or wellbeing of VFW members.
Posts receive their profits from direct sale of the poppies to the public. National by-laws require that the profits from these sales be placed in the post’s Relief Fund to be used only for the following purposes:
Forces and their dependents, and the widows and orphans of deceased veterans.
With help from the VFW, the “Little Red Flower” continues to benefit the needy just as the Poppy Lady believed it was capable of so many years ago. In 1989, for example, 17,894,684 poppies were sold for an average donation of 55 cents. To date, the VFW has sold over three quarters of a billion Buddy Poppies. As long as Americans continue to spill their blood in defense of freedom, sales of these blood-red poppies will undoubtedly continue strong.
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:
Banding Together for our Veterans
Soaring Above and Beyond for Veterans
The HOSPITAL PROGRAM is one of the first nationally adopted programs for the VFW Auxiliary. VFW Auxiliary members have been volunteering in hospitals since 1914 at the organization’s inception.
This year’s “National theme “Banding Together for our Veterans”, and the Department of Mississippi’s theme, “Soaring Above and Beyond for Veterans” assures the Hospital Program will to be great again. The past few years has made it difficult to take care of our veterans like we wanted. The volunteer efforts of our members and working together with the hospitals, etc. will make a huge difference in the lives of our hospitalized veterans.
The Hospital program offers hope and encouragement with compassionate care. There are four (4) particular areas to focus on this year.
VALENTINES FOR VETERANS
Share the love we have for our veterans and service members this Valentine’s Day by sending a valentine, hosting a party, recognition event or dinner in their honor.
WOMEN VETERANS HEALTH CARE
Women have served our nation for generations and are the fastest growing group within the veteran population. Comprehensive health services are available and tailored to the unique needs of women veterans.
HONORS ESCORT
The Honors Escort Program is an opportunity to honor each veteran in a respectful and open manner and provides an opportunity for a veteran’s family and friends, other veterans and medical facility staff to participate in a display of high regard and reverence for the individual at the time of death.
NATIONAL SALUTE TO VETERAN PATIENTS
The week of February 14 is your opportunity to thank a special group of men and women who are cared for throughout the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, outpatient clinics and nursing homes. The purpose of the National Salute to Veteran Patients program is to pay tribute and express appreciation to veterans, increase community awareness of the role of the VA medical center and encourage citizens to visit hospitalized veterans and become more involved as volunteers. Our hospital volunteers contribute to VA personnel and patients. It is because of volunteers like you who bring a touch of happiness to those veterans’ faces.
Success of the hospital program will be thru good communications of the members and volunteers. It is my job to inform and motivate you to become involved. All volunteers should be creative when planning hospital activities. The Hospital program offers hope and encouragement with compassionate care.
Volunteer Recruitment, Recognition and Support
This year, as in the past, one of the main objectives of the Hospital Program is the necessity to recruit new members! Every day the need to recruit new volunteers is crucial to offset millions of dollars in expenses in health care. Volunteers also create a friendly and caring atmosphere wherever they volunteer!
Here are some tips for recruiting:
Volunteers!
Volunteers can serve in local hospitals, Veterans’ homes, nursing homes, domiciliaries and both VA and non-VA medical clinics and facilities. Anyone can serve; Members, non-members, youth and families. Volunteers can do many things depending on the facility. Some facilities have varying types of opportunities to suit different ages and abilities. Some facilities have a volunteer program in place with specific jobs, events and needs. Whichever facility is available, make sure you know and follow the guidelines of the facility.
Auxiliary members can earn Hospital Volunteer Service Pins from National Headquarters. Your Auxiliary Hospital Chairman should keep track of all volunteers’ hours (both VA and non-VA) and submit an application for the pins. Non-members can earn a one-time only volunteer pin for 100 hours.
I have already started getting reports from auxiliaries who have been going to see veterans, giving them parties and having fun. Please continue to do this and report all activities to me.
CELEBRATING NON-TRADITIONAL HOLIDAYS
Our veterans love celebrating the traditional holidays, but they would also enjoy celebrating some non-traditional holidays also. Some of these July Holidays are:
National Fried Chicken Day, July 6
National World Chocolate Day, July 7
National Kitten Day, July 10
National Ice Cream Day, July 16
National Hot Dog Day, July19
Plan an event that is different and usual!
