Community_Service
Community Service
Now is the time to partner
with various local organizations to ensure that the American Legion
Auxiliary is known in the community as being linked in with other programs
and services that help to improve quality of life and help to make the
community a better place to live.
We need
to insure that we are out there and people see us helping to make a
difference. We should be partnering with local organizations and groups to
identify the needs of the community and work together to make a difference.
If other people see our American Legion Auxiliary members out there helping
to make a difference, don’t you think that will encourage others to join our
organization? Where will the American Legion Auxiliary be in ten or twenty
more years? Let’s reach out to community members to promote the American
Legion Auxiliary programs and activities by letting them know who we are and
what we do.
For
this year’s focus we hope to strengthen our local community by identifying
opportunities of service, providing volunteer leadership, encouraging
stewardship of our patriotic citizens, acknowledging our country’s military
history and by supporting the families who have sacrificed for our freedom.
To accomplish this, three designated areas of emphasis for 2009 -2010 will
be:
Partner
with organizations such as Neighborhood Watch groups or a
Community Emergency Response Team
(CERT) and take leadership
classes to learn how to act as an emergency management resource for these
groups. Units are encouraged to help educate volunteers through training
and assist in customizing CERT Training to meet specific demographics and
hazards of the community. Help our communities be prepared in an emergency!
Encourage participation on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on January
18, 2010.
Join in with the thousands of Americans volunteering across the country for
the King Day of Service. Teams will support the nationwide effort to not
only honor Dr. Martin King’s Jr. spirit of service but also to improve
lives, strengthen communities and foster civic engagement through service
and volunteering. What can you do to volunteer as it relates to service to
our veterans and to military families of deployed troops?
Work with the
Army's Community Covenant Program.
Never heard of it before? There are lots of opportunities within your
community to participate in honoring service personnel and their families;
partner with other service organizations in the community by providing
refreshments for ceremonies and to help support soldiers and their families
to help relieve many of the stresses and strains that solders now deal with
on a daily basis.
There are many more programs
that you can become involved with to support your Community Service Program:
Adopt-A-Highway:
Help to beautify our community and at the same time publicize the good works
of our organization.
Community Support for
our Troops:
Invite military families to dinners, ceremonies and other activities at your
post home. Or how about adopting a family while their loved ones are away.
Good of the Legion:
Support the Community Projects of the American Legion. Supporting and
working with your local Post should be one of your primary priorities.
Health:
If you can, volunteer for blood drives, fund drives for
various disease prevention campaigns, assist in nursing homes or hospitals,
distribute information on drug abuse, alcohol abuse and child/spousal abuse.
Homeless Shelters:
Food, clothing, monetary contributions, and a helping hand
are always needed. Ask what you can do!
Make a Difference Day:
Get involved on October 24, 2009!
Senior Citizens:
Take time to visit our seniors, shut-ins and those living alone. Help with
appointments, shopping and reading. A little TLC goes a long way.
Service to the
Handicapped:
Help is always needed during the Annual Special Olympic Games with donations
of food, money or your time!
One
question that came up recently was: Can you
count your hours if the program is not listed in the Plan of Action? If so,
where do you count it?
Answer:
Yes, you should count your hours for any Auxiliary work you do! If there is
not an activity listed that is an exact connection, count them in the
committee that makes the most sense. If you are unsure, count them in
Community Service. So Report, Report,
Report!!
Department Presidents’ Awards
Marion
Autenrith Award:
To the unit initiating and
completing the most Outstanding Community Service Project during the year.
Entry must be a typewritten narrative not to exceed 500 words, a fly leaf
to list unit name and number, unit Chairman's name and address, name of
county, name of Department and unit membership. Include any newspaper
clippings and pictures as desired
by
May 10, 2010 and submit to
Department Chairman
Linda Tome
Mary Anne
Casadei's Angels in the Outfield Award:
To the Unit Chairman
and to the County Chairman for the best overall program to promote education
and assistance to families with loved ones who suffer from a movement or
neurological disorder, to include Parkinson's and Dementia, but not limited
to either. Entry must be a typewritten narrative report not to exceed 100
words. Newspaper clippings and pictures may be included. Include work done
in nursing homes, hospitals and homebound patients.
Entries must be received by May 10, 2010 to Department Chairman
Linda Tome
Phyllis
Bachman Award:
To the County
Community Service Chairman reporting the most Outstanding Countywide
Community Service Event. Winner to be determined by the number of
individuals involved, and the extent of to those in need. Report must be
typewritten, a flyleaf including the name of the County and name and address
of the County
Chairman of
Community Service. Include any newspaper clippings, photos and any
additional pertinent information.
Entries must be
received by May 10, 2010 to Department Chairman
Linda Tome
National Awards
Unit Award:
An award will be
presented to the unit in each division with the best overall activities for
Community Service during the 2009-2010 administrative year. Entry must
include at least one of the designated areas of special emphasis. Entry
must be in narrative form not to exceed 1,000 words. The name of the
department, unit name, address and a completed copy of the annual report
form must also be included (available through the Department Chairman).
All entries must
be postmarked by
May 1, 2010, and sent to the Department Community Service
Chairman,
Linda Tome
The Department
Chairman will send all entries directly to the Division Chairman by June 1,
2010.
Click here for Senior Volunteer of the
Year Award:
A senior member
from each division will be awarded $100.00 for her outstanding volunteer
service during the 2009-2010 administrative year in one or more of the
activities emphasized in the Plan of Action. The application must be
completed with the required certification and a narrative of 300-500 words
must be completed by the entrant.
All unit entries
must be postmarked by
May 1, 2010, and sent to the Department Community Service
Chairman,
Linda Tome
The Department
Chairman will select a winning entry and submit the entry to the Division
Chairman by June 1, 2010.
Click here for Junior Volunteer of the
Year Award:
A Junior member
from each division will be awarded $50.00 and a certificate for her
outstanding volunteer service during the 2009-2010 administrative year in
one or more of the activities emphasized in the Plan of Action. The
application must be completed with the required certification and a
narrative of not more than 250 words must be completed by the entrant.
All unit entries must be postmarked by
May 1, 2010, and sent to the
Department Community Service Chairman,
Linda Tome
The Department
Chairman will select a winning entry and submit the entry to the Division
Chairman by June 1, 2010.
Resources
1.
www.mlkday.gov
2.
www.acsim.army.mil/community_covenant
3.
www.citizencorps.gov/cert/
4.
www.legion-aux.org
5.
See program
page on www.legion-aux.org for
additional resources
Do you have questions as to
where to go or what to report for Community Service?
Send me an email:
lindatome@hotmail.com
REPORTING PROCEDURE:
UNIT CHAIRMAN: Please send the
Unit
Report to the County Chairman by the following dates: 11/1/09, 3/1/10,
and 5/1/10
COUNTY CHAIRMAN: Please
send the
County
Report to the Department Chairman by the following dates:11/10/09,
3/10/10, and 5/10/10
Note:
Forms
are in PDF Format
Note:
Forms
are in PDF Format and can be filled out using your computer keyboard.
However, you
cannot
save data typed into any forms unless you have the Full Version of
Adobe Acrobat software!
Please print at least 2 copies of your completed form,
mail
one
to the chairman, and save one for your records. If you try to e-mail it
without the Full Version of Adobe
Acrobat software,
the chairman
will receive a
BLANK PAGE...
Linda Tome
Community Service Chairman
E Mail: Linda Tome
NOTE:
For Chairman's physical
address, contact
Linda Tome
or
Department
Office
