American Legion Auxiliary - Department of New York
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Department_President

      2011-2012

    Department President
Ann Geer

       

American Legion Auxiliary
Department of New York

Ann Geer was elected President of the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of New York,
on July 16, 2011 at the Department Convention, held in Binghamton, New York,
for the year 2011 - 2012

Inauguration Speech:
Election to the office of Department President of the American Legion Auxiliary is a great honor. Thank you one and all for your support and thank you for placing your trust in me as your president for the coming year. No one can achieve this office alone. The members of the Sixth District and Otsego County have been great supporters and friends. They have encouraged and helped me all along the way. Thank you all so much for your help, encouragement and friendship. I want to especially recognize Jean Yaro and Peggy Nelson, both good friends. Thank you both for all that you have done to help me and thanks for your friendship. And thank you to Mary Lou Platt, my friend, my mentor and my sponsor. Honey you’ve been such a huge help to me and a wonderful friend. You listened, you told me what you though even when I didn’t want to hear it, you steered me in the right direction, and you came up with great ideas. Thank you so much, my friend.

My family is here today, sitting in the front row, and I’m so happy to see them here. Thanks to all of you for your love and support and thanks for coming. It means everything to me. We all have our own directions in my family. We are all so busy and our schedules never seem to match. Sometimes it’s hard to get together but when we do it’s always something very special and I keep it in my heart. So I ask you all to keep me in your prayers this year and please know that I’ll miss you. I miss my Dad today. He was a wonderful father and he loved all of us very much. I’m sure he’s watching and I know that he is very proud of me. I also have some friends from Unadilla here as well and I thank you for coming today.

Being elected President is not just an honor for me. It is a very humbling experience as well. As I climbed the rungs of the leadership ladder I came to realize very quickly that successful leadership in the Auxiliary depends on the work of the grass roots members, the unit members. And it has caused me to remember that I am a unit member first and foremost. I began my Auxiliary involvement as a unit member when I joined the American Legion Auxiliary 29 years ago in Unadilla. I am a unit member today and I will always be a unit member. Everyone in the American Legion Auxiliary is a unit member, a grassroots member. There is no rank among us. We are all equal in membership, equal in purpose and equal in service. We accomplish our work at the grassroots level, working in our communities, serving our veterans and our children It IS who we are. It IS what we do.

The installation today was a little different. It emphasized the importance of each member. At least I hope it did. Unit membership is the most important level of membership in our organization. It is critical to our success. We must never forget that we are grass roots members and that we are all important to the success of the American Legion Family.

Yet, there are those within our organization, who have stated that the American Legion Family is dying. That it is no longer relevant, that our members are aging, that we do not keep pace with the times and that we have not stepped forward to the future. Are you one of those people? Take a moment and think about it. Be honest with yourself. I’ll bet that all of us, if we’re honest about it, can say that we have had similar thoughts, at least once. It isn’t true! We just need to adjust our attitude. That is what we will be working toward this year --- We will “cultivate a New Attitude.” We will dream, believe and succeed at it.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and he proclaimed “I have a dream.” Well, we all have dreams. And I have a dream for the American Legion Family. My dream is of a great organization that opens its doors and welcomes all members. I dream of a civil and accepting group that sees every member as valuable. I dream of an Auxiliary that does not tolerate negativity and an organization that embraces change. I believe that we will succeed in being the best American Legion Family that we can be. I believe in that dream and I know that we will succeed in that mission of greatness. I believe that every member is important, that every member brings something special to the American Legion Family. So let’s “Cultivate a new attitude.” Let’s plant the seeds of change, let’s dream, believe, and succeed in it. That is our goal for this coming year. We will “cultivate a new attitude.” I hope that you dream of it too and that you believe in it. We will succeed at it. I’m sure of that. A sunflower will be symbolic of our greatness and our potential for growth. A sunflower is the most impressive flower in the garden. It stands head and shoulders above the rest, it turns its face to the warming sun and it nourishes the creatures of nature. It’s the perfect reminder of what we can achieve. So let’s “Cultivate a New Attitude – Dream, Believe and Succeed.”

Thank you for your attention this morning. I thank you once again for your support and confidence. I vow that I will work to the best of my ability for the American Legion Auxiliary, for our veterans, our children and our communities.

Biography of the Dept. President

Unit: Ann joined Joyce-Bell Unit 578 in Otsego County in 1981, through the eligibility of her husband Stephen, a Viet Nam era veteran. She immediately became active in her unit and county. Ann was elected Unit President in 1982, attended her first Department Convention in Syracuse that same year, and she was hooked. She went on to serve as the Unit President for 6 years.

County: Ann was elected County President, and served in that capacity from 1988 to 1990 and again in 1994 through 1996. She has held all major committees and offices at the unit and county level. In 2004 Ann transferred her membership to Oneonta Unit 259, Otsego County. She is currently serving as the unit secretary and as the unit and county historian. Ann is active in committee work and has been awarded the Kathryn O. Johnson Plaque for Best County Empire Girls State Orientation and Florence Wright Plaque for the Best County Legislative Program. She also participated in the County Color Guard and is very proud of their first place trophies received at the Department Convention.

District: At the district level, Ann served as District Membership Chairman, District Chaplain and Color Guard captain. In 2003 she was elected Sixth District President. She has also been the Sixth District representative on the Department Convention Resolutions and Constitution and By-Laws committees several times. While District President, it was her pleasure to chair the Department Legislative Committee, earning the National Award for Best Department Legislative Program.

Department: In 2005 Ann chaired the Department Education Committee, receiving the National Award for Outstanding Department Education Program and in 2007 she was asked to chair the National Security Committee receiving the National Award that year for the Outstanding Department National Security Program. While serving as National Security Chairman she was assigned to work on the committee that developed the Warrior Family Assistance Program. In 2008 she once again chaired the Legislative Committee and received a National Award. Ann is a Certified Leadership Instructor, a member of the Legislative Council and has been a House Mother at Empire Girls State, 2009 being her fifth year. She is a member of Broome County Salon 8 and 40, The American Legion Press Association and has been active in fund raising for the Child Welfare Foundation, as a CAT. She has attended the Awareness Assembly in Washington DC and American Legion Hill Day a number of times. Veteran and legislative issues are a passion for her and Ann has spent hundreds of hours visiting with legislative aids, congressman and state officials on behalf of veterans. In 2010-2011 Ann chaired Children and Youth and Warriors' Family Assistance. This past year she served as Membership Chairman.

Personal & Professional Life: Ann has lived in Unadilla for 30 years and is active in the community. She is a founding member of     the Recreation  Commission, which  established a community athletic field. She is active in the Sidney Community Band, playing clarinet; is an Academic Team volunteer at Unatego High School; and has served on the Unadilla Community Foundation Board. In addition she has been an Odyssey of the Mind coach, guiding her fifth grade teams to first place in regional competition twice. Ann is retired from education after 20 years, but still works as a substitute teacher and tutor. Ann is co-owner of David's Art Den, assisting her artist son with art shows and exhibitions. Ann has two grown children: Peter, a computer program designer, residing in Brockport and David, artist, living in Unadilla.

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  Cultivate a New  Attitude
Dream,
                       Believe,
                                      Succeed


 


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Cultivate a New  Attitude
Dream,
        Believe,
                Succeed

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