| MAY 2011 Well…we know who our State Scholarship winner is. We also know who the Department Patriotic Art winners are. How can I find the words to thank you for all your hard work promoting, supporting and raising funds for all our LAVFW Programs, including all that is involved with Youth Activities. Thank you for the time you took out of your busy lives to prepare the End of Year Reports that are so vital to the survival of the VFW and LAVFW. EVERY AUXILIARY in this great state of Arizona wins an Award in my book!!!! Thank you for the love of our Veterans that shows in all the work and reporting that you do. Even though we are now nearing the end of the 2010-2011 reporting year, a new year is beginning. We continue our work in promoting our programs and supporting our Veterans. We never stop, just as our Veterans never stopped fighting for our freedom, putting all they have on the line for all of us. There is too much left to do, so don’t stop now! Please continue to nurture all the community connections you have made with the youth groups in your area. Keep looking for new opportunities in your communities to let our youth and everyone understand what the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars is really all about! Thank you for everything you have done this year participating in our Youth Activities … APRIL 2011 Hello Sisters!! I am looking forward to receiving all of your Year End Reports. Thank you for working so hard supporting our Youth Activities. YOUNG AMERICAN PARTIOTIC ART: Please Pack CAREFULLY and have the artwork to me no later than April 15, 2011, for judging. Please…Please… Please be sure that the artwork conforms to all rules, especially if it depicts our American Flag, see www.lavfwaz.org. Artwork must have a cardboard or similar backing and 1 inch matting in white only. Good Luck to all our participants!!! OTHER YOUTH ACTIVITIES: It’s NEVER too late!!! Visit Snowball Express website for ideas on a Snowflake event and/or how to make donations to this worthwhile program. Take Buddy Poppies to your Adopted Classroom, and explain to the children what they mean to our Veterans. Sponsor a 4-H Club or local kids’ sports team in your community. Support your local Boy’ s or Girl’s Club. Contact a JrROTC Unit using the list provided in your Leadership Package to ask if they can help with your Memorial Day Ceremonies or if you can help them with a donation. And don’ t forget Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts!! Keep the interests going for formation of a Jr. Girls Unit in your area!!! Tell me everything you are doing, even if you are unable to get students to participate. I’m only a phone call or email away!! Thank you for all that you are doing for our youth, veterans and their families. HAPPY EASTER!!! Remember....by working with the young people in our communities, we teach them that we are "United by Love for Our Veterans and County" and show our youth that we promote “Hope for Our Veterans and Families." March 2011 Have you read your End of Year Report for Youth Activities? Can your Auxiliary respond positively to all the questions? These reports are SO important to the continued success of the VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary. We know you are doing the work…so please be sure to report everything you do! Foremost on our mind this month for Youth Activities is getting the final word out regarding our Young American Patriotic Art Program. Please be sure you know all the rules for entry into this contest so that your students aren’t disappointed later if they cannot be entered at Department or National level. All entries must be matted in white (Drawing a border around the art does not qualify as matting!) In matting, use heavy paper to reinforce the back. Do not frame! Also, the entry form must be affixed to back of the art, and must be COMPLETE and SIGNED by the teacher, parent/guardian, student and Auxiliary President/Chairman and Judge when it reaches me. Please read the Entry Form and Helpful Hints CAREFULLY before submitting your entries. PACK CAREFULLY!!! Both forms as well as the brochure can be found online at www.lavfw.org and click on Youth Activities. Take these forms to local schools, churches, youth groups and publish the contest on radio or newspaper! Remember, if you are unable to find an entry, you have still worked the program if you have TRIED…and that’s reportable! Also, if you cannot generate an entry from your Auxiliary, contact one of the Auxiliaries in your District and ask if you can help monetarily with their awards. And remember to recognize ALL you participants at Auxiliary level with a scholarship award or certificate of participation for each student entry. That will generate interest for next year!! While scholarships are on our mind…do any of your VFW or Auxiliary members have a high school senior? They are eligible to apply for our State Scholarship! And your donation to our State Scholarship Fund is needed and appreciated!!! I’m only a phone call or email away!! Thank you for all that you are doing for our veterans and their families. Remember....by working with the young people in our communities, we teach them that we are "United by Love for Our Veterans and County" and show our youth that we promote “Hope for Our Veterans and Families." February 2011 Hello Sisters! Spring is just around the corner and so is our End of Year reporting. Please take a few minutes out of your busy day to look at the EOY Report for Youth Activities BEFORE it is due. If you have any questions, I am a phone call or e-mail away. Here are some important Youth Activities to report at year end: YOUTH GROUPS SUPPORTING OUR MILITARY HEROES NATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM: Department Deadline is April 1, 2010. Citation Award Request form must be received by the by me no later than April 1st. National Deadline is April 10, 2010. Citation Award Request from must be received by National Headquarters from me no later than April 10th. You will find the Request Form on LAVFW Department website. www.lavfwaz.org PATRIOTIC ART: Students must submit art to the Ladies Auxiliary Chairman by March 31, 2010. DISTRICT JUDGING IS OPTIONAL. ALL art entries MUST be submitted and received by me no later than April 15, 2010. Our Department winning entry must be received by National Headquarters by May 5, 2010. See requirements and applications at www.lavfwaz.org. SCHOLARSHIP: State Scholarship Application and documentation must be received by Department Scholarship Chairman Mary Salisbury no Later than April 1, 2011. Again, see requirements and applications at www.lavfwaz.org. SNOWBALL EXPRESS (Other Youth Activities): ALL donations of money and volunteer hours given to Snowball Express are to be counted under YOUTH ACTIVITES. Sisters, please promote this to your Auxiliaries as Youth Activities. If you wish to help financially, send your check to Snowball Express, Dept. D8256, PO Box 65002, Dallas, Texas 75265 (Please no checks to LAVFW Department or National Secretary). For more information about Snowball Express, contact us at info@snowballexpress.org. JANUARY 2010 Happy New Year to everyone!! Now that all that the festivities are over, more fun begins…………… By now your Youth Activities and Young American Patriotic Art Chairman should have contacted the schools in your community and provided the Helpful Hints and Entry brochures to the appropriate school official or Art Department. Remember: ELIGIBILITY: The artwork of your FIRST PLACE WINNER should be packaged with great care and MUST be received by me no later than April 15, 2011. If you have any questions regarding Patriot Art entries, please contact me immediately. The First Place winner for Department will be honored at Department Convention in June 2011. How are you doing with promoting interest in the formation of a Jr. Girls Unit? Have you used the resources provided to you and made contact with a local JROTC Unit? If you have questions I’m only a phone call or e-mail away. Are you looking for Youth Groups Supporting Our Military? What’s happening with the Girl Scouts in you area? These are questions on your End of Year Reports for Youth Activities. What have you been doing to support youth in your community? Please let me know and e-mail me pictures if you have them. Even the “little” things you do are important!! DECEMBER 2010 The Holiday Season is here! Please remember your donations to Kids-Helping -Kids. It’s never too late. We need your help and your donation! Contact Sharon Ashby-Robinson, ashbyrob@frontiernet.net . Girl Scout Awards YES!!! SISTERS! PRESENT the citations for: Bronze (Junior) Silver (Cadet) Gold (Senior) Must have date of presentation on the request form. Form Available at www.lavfwaz.org Youth Groups Supporting Our Military Heroes National Citation Award Department Deadline April 1: Citation Award Request form must be received by the Department Youth Activities Chairman Mary Salisbury by this date. National Deadline April 10: Citation Award Request from must be received by National Headquarters from Department Youth Activities Chairman Mary Salisbury by this date. Request Form is available on LAVFW Department website. www.lavfwaz.org All your holiday plans, parties and donations to support the Youth of your Community should be in place. PLEASE REMEMBER TO PUBLICIZE YOUR EVENTS. Thank you for all your hard work. Have a safe and Happy Holiday Season!!! NOVEMBER 2010 Patriotic Art: Contacts should have been made by now but if they haven’t been made it’s not too late. Besides contacting the schools, Auxiliaries can contact individual students, home schooled students, place fliers in the schools, stores and use word of mouth. It is very important to make sure the students follow the rules in order for them not to be disqualified. The “Hints” flier is available on our LAVFW Department of Arizona under Youth Activities. Also in that flier are instructions for safely packaging the art to send to Department for judging. Please package the art properly. The student will spend many hours creating their entry and it deserves to be treated with respect and handled so nothing happens to it. Please know the deadlines: to Auxiliary by March 31; District optional; and to Department Chairman (that would be me) by April 15, 2010. The Department winning entry must be received by National by May 15. Here’s an idea…why not invite the art students to the next Welcome Home Ceremony at your Post? The students can meet and talk to the returning combat vets and get ideas for their art piece! Other Youth Activities: Please remember Youth Groups Supporting Our Troops citations. You can find the forms on our website www.lavfwaz.org or if you have questions, please call or e-mail me!! If you adopted classroom is sending holiday greetings to our troops…they ARE a Youth Group Supporting Our Troops and should be recognized by a special citation for National Headquarters. I’m sure their teachers will be excited about the recognition. Have you adopted a classroom? A good holiday project would be making patriotic Christmas decorations for their classroom. Or, Have your classroom make holiday cards to send to the troops or your adopted unit if you have one. Think about having a Post Holiday Party for economically challenged children. Consider having your local Boy or Girl Scout Troop lend a hand in hosting the party. Have your Post and Auxiliary collect holiday gifts for a local charity, shelter, or safe house. Invite a local JROTC Unit to help or participate in Post / Auxiliary holiday events, flag raisings and flag retirements. Please remember your donations to Kids-Helping-Kids. Holiday Season is HERE. We need your help and your donations! I remember those year end reports that said things like “our post is located in a retirement community.” Here’s a PERFECT example of how you can work your Youth Activities program no matter where you are located!!! Remember……. ....by working with the young people in our communities, we teach them that we are "United by Love for Our Veterans and County" and show our youth that we promote “Hope for Our Veterans and Families." OCTOBER 2010 A Patriotic Pumpkin Halloween Party is a great way to introduce student’s to your Auxiliary and get them interested in projects such as letters and cards to our troops. Maybe you can plan a party with your adopted class and help them create and decorate a Patriotic Pumpkin!! Or challenge them to each draw a Patriotic Pumpkin and share the drawings with your Adopted Unit!!! THAT’S YOUTH ACTIVITIES AND VETERANS & FAMILY SUPPORT. Below is some information that may help to clarify your Auxiliary’s support for Snowball Express: • All Snowball Express donations and volunteer hours are to be reported under the Youth Activities Program under OTHER ACTIVITIES. • There are NO awards or Citations from National for donations to Snowball Express. • National does NOT accept these donations. • Money donated to Snowball should be sent DIRECTLY to Snowball Express at the following address: Snowball Express, 3575 Lone Star Tower, Fort Worth, TX 76177 Should you have any further questions on this subject, please do not hesitate to contact me. Don’t forget to contact schools in your community regarding our Young American Patriotic Art program. It’s nice to let the students get an early start on their artwork. Brochures and Helpful Hints can be found under Youth Activities on our website at www.lavfwaz.org Please remember your donations to Kids-Helping -Kids. The Holiday Season is right around the corner. District Presidents should have received a letter from “Mrs. Santa Claus” explaining this program more fully. Remember that when we work with the young people in our communities, we are teaching them that we are “United by Love for Our Veterans and Country,” giving “Hope for Veterans and Families.” Thank you Sisters……… September 2010 Well Sisters, the 2010-2011 school year is back in session. Have you distributed our Young American Patriotic Art brochures? Have you “Adopted a Classroom”? How about stuffing back packs with back to school supplies for a student whose parents may be financially challenged? So many more of our young people are suffering in our current unstable economy. Here’s another idea: Now would be the time to get some students together and make some Holiday Greeting Cards for our troops. Such an activity can be reported under Youth, Veterans & Family Services and Community Service. If you don’t have a Jr. ROTC or Jr. Girls Unit in your area, how about helping to sponsor a young sports team? Also, how about getting the young people of your community involved in your Veteran’s Day activities? It would be a unique patriotic learning experience for them fun for you. Contact your local Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troop leaders. See how you can help, or how they can assist you in patriotic events. AND DON’T FOR GET TO PUBLISH YOUR EVENTS IN YOUR LOCAL PAPER OT CALL THE RADIO STATION AND ASK THEM FOR A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT SPOT!! Sisters please, while you are doing all these wonder youth activities, please send me pictures and let me know what you are doing each month so I can share that with our National Director. Invite me to your event! You all are doing such creative things. PLEASE CHECK YOUR END OF YEAR REPORT FOR YOUTH ACTIVITIES SO YOU KNOW WHAT SHOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR!! Please let me know if you need my assistance in any way. All the dorms and brochures you need can be found on the www.lavfwaz.org website, or call me and I will mail you what you need. Remember that when we work with the young people in our communities, we are teaching them that we are “United by Love for Our Veterans and Country,” giving “Hope for Veterans and Families.” Thank you Sisters……… July - August 2010 Okay Sisters! I’m back and it’s time! Ready…set…go! Let’s get 2010-2011 off to a fun-filled start. Use the tools provided in your Youth Activities Program package distributed at Leadership Conference. Now is the time to put our heads together with our Auxiliary Sisters and make a list of community youth groups, class rooms, scouting troops, children’s sports teams, reading rooms, etc. that your Auxiliary can support by presenting a patriotic program, raising funds, or simply by having a coloring contest (pick your favorite patriotic picture!). There is so much you can do to support the youth of your community. The list is endless. Use your imagination!! I will provide several ideas in your Youth Activities Chairman’s Package, but they are only suggestions. You probably have a fantastic idea of your own!!! We are particularly interested in promoting our Junior Girls. See if your Auxiliary can start a new Junior Girls Unit in your community. Consider partnering with another Auxiliary in your District to cover a larger area, and offering the opportunity to a larger number of girls that may be eligible. Please let me know if you need assistance in any way. I am only an e-mail away: mcsalisbury@npgcable.com or phone: (928) 706- 4044. Please leave a message if I don’t answer. Remember that when we work with the young people in our communities, we are teaching them that we all can be “United by Love for Our Veterans and Country,” fostering “Hope for Veterans and Families.” Thank you Sisters……… |
Youth Activities Pin Point Achieves