Youth Activities: Reward Student Patriotism

Joan Penney
2015-2016 Youth Activities
National Ambassador


I am so proud of each and every Auxiliary! You all have taken the Youth Activities and found such creative ways to involve a great number of youth groups. Job well done! The year is still young, so please keep the momentum going.

School is in full swing and before long many of you will be guests in classrooms hosting veterans in the classroom. This is the perfect opportunity to reward children for their patriotism with RAP cards. The VFW store is sold out of RAP coins but you are welcome to download the RAP card template from the National Organization’s website: http://www.vfwauxiliary.org/programs-page/youth-activities/. Other rewards include flags; patriotic stickers; patriotic pencils; red, white and blue candy; and more!

September is the month you need to consider “booking” a local school choir to perform at your Post & Auxiliary Holiday function. Ask elementary school children to create holiday cards so you have time to mail them to deployed troops, take them to nursing home residents or disperse the cards through a USO.

I realized too late that I had crisscrossed a Chairman and Department in the September promotion; Mona Benotti is from TEXAS. Sorry about that!

Again, thank you for all you do for our veterans and the youth. I hope each of you look at your rock every day and make the biggest ripple you can!

Veterans & Family Support: All About the Unmet Needs Program

Laurie Dale
2015-2016 National
Veterans & Family Support Ambassador

Veterans, service members and their families face many challenges and a big one can be unexpected financial difficulties because of deployment or other military-related activity. The program provides financial aid of up to $5,000 to assist with basic life needs in the form of a grant - not a loan - so no repayment is required. To further ease the burden, the creditor is paid directly.

Many of you have questions about the Unmet Needs Program. Read the Q&A below and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Q.:  What does the Unmet Needs Program do? 
A.:  Unmet Needs provides grants and referrals to other organizations to active duty or recently discharged service members and their immediate families to assist with basic life needs.

Q.:  Who is eligible to receive assistance?
A.:  To receive a grant, the service member has to be on active duty or discharged from active duty within 72 months prior to applying, and negatively affected by their military service. Everyone is eligible to receive referrals and resource information.

Q.:  How can I contact the Unmet Needs Program?
A.:  The Unmet Needs Program is located in the VFW National Headquarter in Kansas City, Mo.
                                         
Mailing Address:
Unmet Needs Program                                
406 W. 34th St.
Kansas City, MO 64111                              

Other Contact Information:
Toll Free Number: 866-789-6333
Fax: 816-968-2779
Email: unmetneeds@vfw.org
Website: www.vfw.org/UnmetNeeds/

Q.:  How do I get an application for the Unmet Needs financial grant?
A.:  The application can be found online here or at the website listed above. Completed applications must be signed, have all the required documents, and can be mailed, faxed or attached to an email.

Q.:  How does the Unmet Needs Process work?
A.:  Once an application has been completed and submitted with the necessary documents, the Unmet Needs caseworker reviews it and contacts the applicant. All applications are verified with the Point of Contact, and all expenses are verified with the creditors. Payments are sent directly to the creditor to ensure proper disbursement of donations.

Q.:  Who is the Point of Contact?
A.:  For active duty members, the Point of Contact is the senior member of the service members’ chain of command, E-8 or above, family assistance center coordinator, family readiness group, or a medical hold caseworker. For those who are no longer in the military, the Point of Contact can be a social worker, case manager, VA representative, or a VFW Service Officer.

Q.:  What additional documents are needed for the application process?
A.:  A copy of the service member’s most recent active duty orders or DD-214 (member copy 4), copies of bills that they need assistance with, a written statement from the Point of Contact verifying the hardship, and the program’s Terms and Conditions signed by the applicant. Depending on the situation, additional documentation may be requested.

Q.:  What kind of expenses does the Unmet Needs Program help with?
A.:  Unmet Needs assists with any expenses that are classified as “basic life needs,” which includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Housing expenses such as mortgage, rent, repairs and insurance
• Vehicle expenses such as payments, repairs and insurance
• Utilities and primary phone
• Food and Incidentals
• Children’s clothing, diapers, formula and necessary school or childcare expenses
• Medical bills, prescriptions and eyeglasses – the patient’s portion for necessary or emergency medical care only

Q.:  How long does the process take?
A.:  The applications are processed in the order in which they are received. The Unmet Needs office takes no more than 20 business days to process the applications after receipt of all required documentation. Caseworkers cannot move forward with a case until a completed application and all supporting documentation is received.

Q.:  How many times can I apply for the Unmet Needs Grant?
A.:  Applicants can apply once every 18 months, and only twice total. Second requests for assistance must be caused by a new situation or new deployment.

Q.:  Does Unmet Needs assist after a natural disaster?
A.:  The Unmet Needs Natural Disaster Assistance provides grants in the amounts of $300 for power loss or damage to home, or $500 for the total loss of primary residence.

Q.:  How can I help?
A.:  Contact your VFW Department or local VFW Post to let them know you are here to help. Monetary donations to support Unmet Needs can be sent two ways:

1.  Mail you donation to:
VFW Foundation
Memo-Unmet Needs
406 West 34th St. Ste. 920
Kansas City, MO 64111

2.  Text NEEDS to 90999 and $10.00 will be donated to the Unmet Needs Program.

Now that you know a little more about this program, get out there and educate other members so that we can better assist our nation's veterans, active-duty military and their families!

Scholarships: Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen

Kim Lewis
2015-2016 National Scholarships Ambassador

What an exciting year we have ahead of us! We have four Scholarship contests to promote. The first two being the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen Contests with the entry deadline to the local VFW Post on Sunday, November 1. It’s time to spread the word to as many people as possible regarding the information for of these both competitions. This year’s theme for the grades 9-12 Voice of Democracy Audio Essay is “My Vision for America” and for the grades 6-8 Patriot’s Pen Essay, the theme is “What Freedom Means to Me.”

Many of you have asked why the Auxiliary isn't included in the judging process for Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen contests. Please be aware these are VFW-sponsored contests and the Auxiliary assists the Posts with these scholarship contests.

Please be sure you understand the rules for each scholarship contest before you speak with teachers, students and/or parents about the contests.

Community Awareness of our scholarship contests is again one of our goals this year. We need to let the community know what great financial opportunities we provide for talented students. Some ways to achieve this are:

• Place a free advertisement/press release in your local newspaper describing the elements of each contest – including the award amounts of each scholarship and who to contact at your local Post and/or Auxiliary. Click here for a sample press release for Voice of Democracy and click here for a sample release for Patriot’s Pen.
• Place posters in local stores, restaurants, libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, etc., with permission. Posters for both programs can be purchased from the VFW Store. Voice of Democracy Posters: http://www.vfwstore.org/products/22915 and  Patriot's Pen Posters: http://vfwstore.org/products/28509  
• Don't forget about social media to reach students and their parents! Facebook, Twitter, and Post/Auxiliary websites at the local, District and Department levels are excellent places to post information about our contests. 

A sample Facebook post for Voice of Democracy could read:

Do you know a student in grades 9-12 who could use up to $30,000 for college? Encourage them to enter the VFW's Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition. Each year, nearly 40,000 high school students from across the country enter to win a share of the $2.2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the VFW’s Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition. The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship and other national scholarships range from $1,000-$16,000, and the first-place winner from each state wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. This year’s theme is “My Vision for America.” Entries can be submitted to VFW Post (enter your post and contact info) no later than midnight on November 1, 2015. Click here for more information: http://www.vfw.org/VOD/

A sample Facebook post for Patriot's Pen could read:
Each year more than 125,000 students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest. The first-place winner from each state competes for national awards totaling $50,000, with each first-place state winner receiving a minimum of $500 at the national level. The national first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in March. This
year’s theme is “What Freedom Means to Me.”  Entries can be submitted to VFW Post (enter your post and contact info) no later than midnight on November 1, 2015. Click here for more information: http://www.vfw.org/PatriotsPen/

If we work on our Community Awareness Goal, we will achieve our Student Participation Goal. I’m looking to see an increase in participation this year because of the excitement you create promoting these scholarship opportunities.

Legislative: What is Action Corps Weekly and How Do I Promote It?

Lois Callahan
2015-2016 National Legislative Ambassador

Questions for the Ambassador:
Q:  Where do I find the “Get Out the Vote” posters?
A:  They are available from the VFW Store. Go to the National Auxiliary Website. On the home  page, you will find the VFW Store link.

Q:  How do you prefer to receive correspondence from the Chairman?
A:  Email or USPS; either are fine. When using USPS, please do not send certified or registered mail.

During the Legislative Program seminar at National Convention, I discussed the importance of increasing  subscriptions to the VFW Action Corps Weekly e-newsletter. The VFW Action Corps is the VFW’s national grassroots advocacy network comprised of VFW and Auxiliary members, and patriotic supporters of veterans. Members of the VFW Action Corps stay up-to-date on the issues facing our veterans, our military and their families, standing ready to email, write, call and visit our nation’s lawmakers to make their voices heard. The VFW Action Corps is free and open to all patriotic Americans who care about the military and veterans’ communities.

VFW Action Corps members receive:

• The VFW Action Corps Weekly, an easy-to-read electronic newsletter that highlights the VFW’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. 
• Immediate access to a nationwide database of contact information for all elected officials, a congressional directory.
• Regular VFW “Action Alerts” telling them how they can get involved when our nation’s veterans, service members, and their families need their voices heard on Capitol Hill.  

At the seminar, I challenged all members to begin thinking about ways to market the VFW Action Corps Weekly beyond the doors of our Auxiliaries. Your Conference Chairmen have some great ideas!

Western Conference Chairman Melanie Palmer suggests:

• Print and distribute business cards directing the reader to the VFW website with sign-up instructions.

Big Ten Conference Chairman Diana Rudeen suggests:

• Start a challenge within each Auxiliary to obtain the most new subscriptions. Extend the contest state wide.

Southern Conference Chairman Patricia Wesley suggests:

• Sign up family members and always have sign-up information at every community event.

Eastern Conference Chairman, Linda Theroux suggests:

• Play the video tutorial and distribute the Action Corps Weekly Recipe Card for other community groups or meetings.

Mr. Bob Wallace, Executive Director of the VFW Washington Office, has asked that the Auxiliary increase the subscriptions to the VFW Action Corps Weekly e-newsletter. I assured him that we would do our best. I look forward to hearing from each of you on how you are marketing the Action Corps Weekly beyond the doors of your Auxiliary!

Chief of Staff/Extension: Communication is the Key!

Barbara Melnick
2015-2016 National Chief of Staff/Extension Ambassador

We are looking forward to a wonderful year, full of possibilities for a lot of new members to join our wonderful organization!

Walk around your neighborhood and meet your neighbors. See if they are eligible to join the Auxiliary or Veterans of Foreign Wars. When you’re speaking with people outside of the organization, be sure and use the full name: Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary (VFW Auxiliary) or Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). There are thousands of organizations and some share the same initials, so please make sure they know who you represent.

In addition to gaining and maintaining membership, we need to maintain our current Auxiliaries! Are you using the following at your Auxiliary?

• RU Healthy Auxiliary Checklist
• 5 Essentials of an Auxiliary
• Healthy Auxiliary Member Questionnaire

All are available for download in the Healthy Auxiliary Toolkit on the National Auxiliary website.

Remember that healthy communication is the key, whether in person, emails or even texts!

BE FRIENDLY. 
ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION.

Hospitals & Holidays

Grace Matz

2015-2016 National
Hospital Ambassador

Those who attended the workshop at National Convention saw some examples of easy crafts to make. I hope you found that it gave you some ideas and hopefully sparked some others for your own creative projects. 

Now would be a great time to start planning and put those activities in action. The next several months have holidays that would be the perfect opportunity to make crafts and distribute them to patients.

September 11:  Patriot Day

I hope everyone remembers the impact this tragic day had on our country.

• Please take the time to visit a facility and pass out American flags. By including those who are confined, you will give them the chance to participate in showing their American pride. 
• If you’re having a ceremony at your Post Home, check to see if there are any patients who could be transported to attend.

September 19: POW/MIA Recognition Day

It’s so important to honor those who were prisoners of war and never forget those who are still missing in action.

• Contact a facility and schedule a POW/MIA Ceremony. Invite ALL veterans, members, and the public. If you’re unable to schedule the ceremony, consider visiting a facility and passing out POW/MIA and American flags. 
• If you know of any former POWs in the hospital or nursing home, be sure to recognize them and their sacrifice.

Entire Month of September:  Suicide Awareness & Prevention

• Remember to wear the blue teardrop. You can download the template from the National Auxiliary website here. When someone asks about it, explain our concern about the number of veteran and military suicides. It’s an easy way to bring veteran and military suicide awareness into our communities. 
• Have information about the Veterans Crisis Line available to give out. 
• Contact your local VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator about a training session to recognize telltale signs. Even one suicide is too many.

Americanism: The Pledge of Allegiance

Mary Stroud
2015-2016 National Americanism Ambassador

The school year is rapidly approaching and now is a great time to contact your schools and teachers. Need some ideas on how to get your local school and teachers involved? Not sure what resources are available to you? Check out a few ideas listed below

• Set up a day in the classrooms of the younger students to have them recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
• You can reward them by printing off the Pledge bookmarks that are on the Auxiliary website.
• Also available on the website is a great Flag Education for Kids flyer that can be handed out.
• Through the VFW Store, you can purchase the Young American Award for learning the Pledge and a neat little coloring book titled "I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag."
• Teach them the meaning behind the 13 folds of the flag and what the colors of the flag signifies.
• For the older students, pass out the Our Flag: Things You Should Know brochure or the Etiquette of the Stars and Stripes brochure also available from the VFW Store. Teach them how to properly fly it, salute it and dispose of it.

The following is an excerpt from a Red Skelton telecast with his interpretation of the Pledge that I find very powerful and would like to share it with you.

• I – me, an individual, a committee of one.
• Pledge – dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
• Allegiance – my love and my devotion.
• To The Flag – our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there is respect because your loyalty has given her dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job.
• Of the United – that means that we have all come together.
• States – individual communities that have united into (our) great states…individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that’s love for county.
• Of America.
• And to the Republic – a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
• For Which It Stands.
• One Nation – meaning, so blessed by God.
• Indivisible – incapable of being divided.
• With Liberty – which is freedom and the right of power to live one’s own life without threats or fear or some sort of retaliation.
• And Justice – the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
• For All – which means it’s as much your country as it is mine.”

Note: Red Skelton wrote this; 'Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance – “under God”.'

Membership: No Excuse, Just Recruit!

Joyce Bilyeu
2015-2016 National Membership Ambassador

We are off and running in Membership. We have 11 months left to reach our goal of 100% plus. This is going to be a record-breaking year, and YOU are going to be the ones to break that record. I cannot tell you enough how excited I am for all of you to be a part of this piece of history.

Remember we will be coming up to our first quarterly milestone September 30, 2015 of all Departments being at least 80% in membership to receive a $250 monetary award. I will be watching the membership standings on the website to see that ALL Departments are at 80% (or more) in membership on September 30th. 

CONGRATULATIONS to the Department of Alaska. They have already reached the first quarterly milestone. They are standing at 83.59%. Therefore, their Department will be receiving $250. As of August 3, we are currently at 58.37% of our National goal and only need 193,296 members to reach 100%. We Got This!

It was incredible to see so many of you at National Convention in Pittsburgh. Thank you to those who attended the Membership Workshop and the Membership Kick-off. Thank you also goes out to the National Certified Recruiter Trainers who attend the Recruiter Trainer meeting. 

It is so exciting to be able to start recruiting males into our elite organization. I have several brothers who have served and they are ready and honored to have the opportunity to sign their sons up as Auxiliary members. They served us and now we need to get as many people as possible to serve them.

Being able to sign males up as Auxiliary members creates so many more new opportunities for those who truly want to help veterans and their families. For example: I personally know a family whose father is a VFW member. So from his eligibility I am signing up his wife, his four daughters, his one son, and his 16 grandchildren. This is a total of 22 NEW members who are just waiting to join us in serving and honoring our American Heroes (our veterans). And trust me; we need all the help we can get!

Please wait for National Headquarters to formally address the change before you send any information to your Departments regarding the name change and eligibility information. We want to make sure the correct information is out there. This information will be coming to all of us soon. But I am ready and waiting patiently to put pen to paper and get those new members.

Please go to the National Organization's website* to print out all the membership materials and resources that you might need to help in your recruiting efforts. For example: print out the “Just One” Card, make copies of it and pass them around to other members and get them to commit to recruit “Just One” new member. 

*All membership materials can be found on the National Organization’s website by clicking on the “Programs” tab, “Membership” and selecting the Auxiliary logo on the right-hand side of the page.

Please don’t be the Department that is left behind. It is so much more than money we are working towards. We are working towards making lives better for veterans and their families by building the biggest and best Auxiliary ever in history.

We want to start off fast and keep it going until our goals are met. Once we reach our goals the momentum will be set for next year to do the same. Remember you have less than 11 months to make a HUGE difference in the direction of this organization and most of all in the lives of veterans all over the world.

Remember to accept

You Got This!