UPDATE from the Department Secretary
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American Legion Auxiliary
Department of Alaska Headquarters
P.O. Box 670750
Chugiak, Alaska 99567
Well, it would appear as if our summer is drawing to a close and fall is quickly approaching. As the days begin to shorten, so it seems does my time to get things done. I no more finish one newsletter article and it is time to write another. This month I want to bring a valuable resource to your attention. This resource is the American Legion Auxiliary National website: ALAforVeterans.org. If as a Unit, District or Department officer or chairman you havent been to this site I would strongly encourage you to become familiar with and to utilize this valuable tool. On the Home page, notice at the top far right a couple of items in blue, these are links, one says, Download 2011-2012 Plan of Action . If you are the chairman of a committee you should be very excited to see this for here is where youre going to find everything you want to know about your chairmanship and what the goals are for the upcoming year in your particular chairmanship. The very first thing you should do as a Unit Secretary is to download this entire plan, print it out and take it to your very next meeting and distribute the appropriate sections to your various Unit chairman. If you are a Department Chairman, by now you should be aware that this is your road map for the next year and you should automatically gravitate to this page by September 1st when your year begins and print out the section that pertains to your chairmanship.
Also on the Home page right under the Plan of Action, is a link to a brand new tool that is intended to help us all in tracking and recording our hours and dollars spent to help our Veterans and their families. This, I think; is going to become a very valuable tool. It is titled ALA Impact Numbers Worksheets . There are four different worksheets, one for Members, one for Units, one for Districts and one for Departments. The intended purpose of these worksheets is give you another tool to record your resources spent to aid our Veterans and their families and make the half year and year-end reports (Consolidated Report) easier to fill out. Check them out these could be one of the best things since peanut butter, especially if it makes reporting easier and I really think that these worksheets will.
When you go to this site, click on the Member Resources tab at the top of the page, when the drop down box appears scroll down to Resources . This page should be on every ones Favorites bar. On this page is every form, every application, and every tool that is available to you as an American Legion Auxiliary member, officer or chairman. If you cant find it here, then give me a call and Ill help you locate your missing information. Please though, get in the habit of going to this website first. Especially if what you are looking for is Membership applications, Girls State applications, AEF applications, brochures for the various programs etc. Did you know that you can also print out the Auxiliary handbook from this page? You can. Check it out you wont be sorry that you spent some time at this website.
Another valuable website is our own Department site located at alaskalegionauxiliary.org. Lisa Williamson does a fantastic job of keeping our website up to date and current. Go have a look around.
As a follow-up to last months article on filling out your membership applications please make an important note. I have been appalled at how many Applications for Membership I receive that the Auxiliary membership chairman is signing on the bottom line underneath the applicants signature. If you will just remember that you are Auxiliary members and you belong to a Unit NOT a Post, then when it asks for verification by a POST officer, it should occur to you that you cannot verify that the person your applicant is joining under is a legionnaire and this needs to be signed by an Officer of the POST not by the membership chairman, or by another Unit officer.
Finally, the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Alaska fall Workshop, Girls State Meeting and DEC is scheduled for October 15th and 16th at Jack Henry Post 1. I will have further details for you as they become available and will report them in next months newsletter article but for now please reserve those dates on your calendars and please plan to attend especially you Unit Membership Chairmen.