Kuna VFW Auxiliary 7019

We are pleased to present webinars to you, our members, on various topics. You are able to watch the webinars below anytime – and anywhere you have an Internet connection! To watch a webinar, click the title of the webinar you would like to view and it will launch in a new window. The length of each webinar is in parentheses to the right of the title. Webinars are recorded and may be stopped and started at any time for your convenience. Just click on the pause or play button to stop and start the webinar.

Access the Online Academy webinars here: https://vfwauxiliary.org/online-auxiliary-academy/

If you have topic suggestions for future webinars, please e-mail them to [email protected].

A staggering number of veterans die by su***de every day, and the VFW Auxiliary is committed to lowering this number and changing the stigma surrounding mental health in America. We encourage you to educate yourself and others and learn how you can help combat this critical issue.
• Visit https://www.veteranscrisisline.net and click on topics under "Education and Advice" for resources.
• Learn the Five Signs that may mean someone is in emotional pain and might need help: https://www.changedirection.org/ -signs
• Purchase the Auxiliary Su***de Awareness Prevention Pin from the VFW Store: http://vfwstore.org/products/32033. When someone asks you about your pin, tell them that the VFW Auxiliary is concerned about the rates of su***des among veterans and military service members; we want everyone to be aware of the unique stresses they face.

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Thank you to all the females that have served in our Armed Forces.

Here are a few of our VFW & Auxiliary Dual Members.

Carla Martinez
Wendy Griffin
Laurie Charry
Tammy Flake

Please drop your support in the comments of those I may have missed.

You are appreciated.

Announcing: Department-level First-Place Winning Entries of the 2023-2024 Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest!

Title of work: Big Brother
Artist: Jolie Day James
Department: Idaho
Sponsoring Auxiliary: Auxiliary 735
Grade: 10

Each weekday at noon and 3 p.m. central time, we will post one state’s winning entry. This will be followed by the Department first-place 3-Dimensional Patriotic Art pieces. During National Convention, we will announce the National winners of these two scholarship contests in addition to the National winners of Illustrating America, our grades K-8 art competition.

Please keep in mind that these artists are students ranging in age from 5 to 18. They have all worked very hard on their art and deserve to be applauded for their time, talent and display of patriotism. We appreciate your support for these students!

National Poppy Day, SHARE & WEAR THEM PROUDLY 🇺🇸

It is with great sorrow that we at VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters share with you that our Director of Administrative Services, Janice Criswell, passed away unexpectedly on May 22, 2024.

Criswell was a 45+ year member who served the Auxiliary in a number of capacities, including as the longtime Secretary of the Department of Kansas. She was also a Past Department of Kansas President and had served as Western Conference Membership Chairman and VFW-PAC Chairman, National Safety Director and National Chief of Staff. She joined Auxiliary 2864 under the eligibility of her father, a World War II veteran, because she wanted to belong to “the strongest women’s group that supports veterans and young people.”

For more than 25 years, Criswell was an accomplished and adored grade 7-12 Language Arts teacher who guided and inspired countless students. In 2023, the Wheatland High School’s Alumni Association honored her as an inductee into their Hall of Fame. Upon retirement, she joined the staff of VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters, where she worked from 2002 until her passing.

Her loss is immeasurable and she will be sorely missed.

Please feel free to share your memories of Janice Criswell, our friend, colleague and Auxiliary sister, in the comments below.

It's important to say thank you and recognize fellow Auxiliary members for their dedication and efforts in supporting veterans, their families and your community.

Host a member appreciation event and present them with certificates of appreciation, awards and more available for download behind MALTA login, under Member Resources.

For those members who go above and beyond, considering nominating them for a VFW Auxiliary Magazine Member Spotlight feature! Nomination forms are also available under Member Resources.

Sunday, May 26th at 8/7c See this year's lineup

Support a veteran today! >> Help America's veterans by making a generous donation to the VFW. Our programs support our service members while they are on the front line, as they are being discharged, and even long after they have returned home.

Today’s Wisdom Wednesday reminds us of the importance of kindness and charity:

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The May, 2024 issue of VFW Auxiliary Magazine is now online.

Click the link below to read these stories and more!
• Meet the Five National Guard candidates
• Remembering PNP Patricia Jankowski
• Read About the Mid-Year Conference Cruise
• VFW’s Third Annual Day of Service
• Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen winning essays

Find it here: https://vfwauxiliary.org/magazine/

The editors of VFW Auxiliary Magazine want to know what you think about features and articles you see in the magazine. Have a magazine submission or story idea? Send submissions to [email protected], Attn: Editor-in-Chief.

CALLING ALL WOMEN VETERANS!!!!

Please join us in Nampa on Saturday, June 8, 2024 for the 2024 Idaho Women Veterans Conference. This is a FREE event for all women who served in the U.S. Military (any branch, any time period). Lunch will be included but registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-idaho-women-veterans-conference-tickets-851907547407

It will be a day of Community and Camaraderie! Our keynote speaker will be combat veteran and Idaho Army National Guard Chief of Staff Colonel Nicole Washington.

Join us on Monday, April 22 for the VFW Auxiliary’s next HQ Roundtable on Facebook Live starting at 2pm central. HQ Roundtable will be broadcast live on the VFW Auxiliary's National page.

The topic will be an interview with the five candidates for National Guard. The candidates are Kimberly Davis from Arkansas, Janey Feher from Kentucky, Kay Gedling from Alabama, Donna Howell from Alabama and Susan Simmons from Georgia.

If you have questions for the candidates, you may ask them during the Facebook Live broadcast, but please be advised due to the number of candidates this year, we may not get to all of your questions. Also note that questions must be for ALL candidates; questions for a specific candidate will not be asked during the Facebook Live.

The Next Step, Curtis Road Walk Through

Nature is back in bloom! Don't forget that Veterans, service members, dependents, and Gold Star families receive free entry to , as well as refuges and public lands. 🌄🌊🌲

Recognize individual youth for their patriotism and/or support of veterans, service members and their families with a Patriotic Youth Award.

This award, available for download from the National website, is appropriate for individual youth of all ages.

Download the Patriotic Youth Award behind MALTA and recognize deserving youth in your community today!

For nearly 100 years, the VFW National Home has been helping and families who need a fresh start. Families find healing in a tranquil, rural, small-town community. Tree-lined streets connect 42 single-family homes with facilities like a gym, library, computer and science labs, daycare center, playgrounds, fishing pond, hiking trails, and more!

Learn more about the National Home here: http://www.vfwnationalhome.org/

What is the VFW Auxiliary?

We’re of the nation’s oldest veterans’ service organizations! Our members are relatives of those who have served in a location of foreign conflict. We have members worldwide who volunteer millions of hours and fundraise millions of dollars for charitable projects that benefit veterans, military service personnel, their families and their communities.

Wondering how to join?
Click here to learn more: http://vfwauxiliary.org/join-us/

Help veterans and service members in your community!

The VFW Auxiliary wants YOU to join us as honor of the sacrifices and commitment of every man and woman who has served in uniform. If you’re the relative of those who served in overseas combat, we invite you to learn more about what we do and how we help veterans, service members, their families and our communities.

Click here to find out more about the VFW Auxiliary today: www.vfwauxiliary.org/join-us/ ‪‬

Today is , dedicated to the families of our fallen military heroes. This day serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by military spouses.

We are truly honored to provide support and specific programming that uplifts our families of fallen heroes in their times of need. To all families of fallen heroes, please know that you are never alone and we will never forget the sacrifices made.

April is set aside annually as Military child appreciation month, officially known as the Month of the Military Child. With its start in the mid-1980s, the Pentagon and other military support organizations and agencies use the month to recognize military kids for their sacrifice and bravery on the Homefront.

With April just around the corner and Memorial Day only two months away, now is the time to start preparing for “Buddy”® Poppy distribution and display creation!

Before ordering from your Post, connect with them to check your Post homes. Many Posts and Auxiliaries have boxes of unused poppies in storage, some of which may have even been forgotten about. Get those beautiful “Buddy”® Poppies out of the basement or attic and start making displays today.