VFW Auxiliary 341

Join us on Facebook Live from 2-3 p.m. CST December 13!

National President Carla Martinez will be our special guest for the next HQ Roundtable, during which she will share holiday greetings and answer questions from members.

Please submit your questions to [email protected] with the subject line HQ Roundtable by Monday, December 11.

Do you or does someone you know need help?

Call the VFW National Home Helpline and receive information on services and support in your area. The National Home Helpline is the first step on the path to help for and families.

This free service:
• Offers information
• Creates connections
• Gives hope to struggling families across the country.

The Helpline is answered M-F 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern, except holidays. Messages left after hours and on weekends are answered the next business day.

Contact the Helpline at 800.313.4200 or [email protected].

Montel Williams speaks with our Executive Director, Mike Wilson, about the challenges facing the amazing military families in our community, and how we can help overcome them.🇺🇸 📺 Tune in on Wednesday to hear our veterans tell their stories firsthand on Military Makeover: Operation Career, airing on Lifetime TV November 15th at 7:30 AM EST/PST.

Can’t tune in on Wednesday? Join us for our Digital Premiere on November 27th at 7:30PM EST on our YouTube channel.

Have you heard of SWAP?

SWAP was an initiative started in 2018 that encouraged members to Share Wonderful Auxiliary Projects. It works when an Auxiliary has had a great idea for a project, Program, event, parade float, membership recruitment or promotion and decides to document and share that idea with other Auxiliaries.

Below are 3 easy ways to SWAP!

Social Media: Photograph your event, project, etc. and share along with “How To” information on your Auxiliary’s page. Ask your Department to share your post too, in order to ensure the idea reaches more members. With every posting, use the hashtag so members from all over the country and beyond can see these ideas, too.

The E-Newsletter: If you’ve had a great idea that you’d like to share with our membership, be it a type of membership drive, Program promotion, request for a new type of press release, community project or even a cool parade float, send it to us at [email protected] with the subject line “AuxSWAP.” We would love to periodically share these with our membership through the E-News throughout the year!

Word of Mouth: Talk up your ideas the old-fashioned way! Go to a District, Department or County Council meeting, Conference or Convention and chat with fellow members about what you did, how you did it, what worked, what didn’t, and what may work for others in the future! Answer questions, but also exchange ideas for the future that might improve upon what you’ve done and help them to have the same positive experience your Auxiliary did.

When you share your Auxiliary’s ideas and another Auxiliary runs with them, that’s a successful SWAP!

Post & Aux 341 At Eastern Conference Banquet,
Atlantic City NJ
October 21, 2023

We are superstars!

Robin Smith and Jannie Lebby dropped off the socks donation to Washington Veterans Home.

For the 2023-2024 Program Year, one of National Mentoring for Leadership Ambassador Francine Cornish’s goals is to see members embracing CARE.

What’s CARE?
C: Catch the member when they first join
A: Ask them to participate
R: Remember what it felt like to be new
E: Engage them in a Program that fits them

We look forward to seeing how our members band together to CARE this year!

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/

For the 2023-2024 Program Year, one of National Mentoring for Leadership Ambassador Francine Cornish’s goals is to see members embracing CARE.

What’s CARE?
C: Catch the member when they first join
A: Ask them to participate
R: Remember what it felt like to be new
E: Engage them in a Program that fits them!

We look forward to seeing how our members band together to CARE this year!

Our own Francine Cornish is the VFW Auxiliary National Ambassador for Mentoring for Leadership!

On the Programs Blogs, National Mentoring for Leadership Ambassador Francine Cornish talks about how the goal of the mentee will determine the direction of the mentoring relationship and to invite your mentee to conferences, meetings and activities.

Find it at the link below. Read it and share!
https://vfwauxiliary.org/mentoring-for-leadership-goals-determine-direction-of-mentoring-relationship/

September is National Su***de Prevention Month

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.

Sharing information about this and the warning signs of su***de is National President Carla Martinez’s special focus this year. She is not looking to raise money, but asks for all members to help raise awareness.

We therefore encourage you to educate yourself and others and learn how you can help combat this critical issue.
• Visit veteranscrisisline.net and click on topics under "Education and Advice" for resources.
• Connect struggling veterans with a counselor at the Veterans Crisis Line - Dial 988, Press 1.
• Learn the Five Signs that may mean someone is in emotional pain and might need help: changedirection.org/ -signs
• Purchase the Auxiliary Su***de Awareness Prevention Pin from the VFW Store: vfwstore.org/products/32033. When someone asks you about your pin, tell them that the VFW Auxiliary is concerned about the rate of su***des among veterans and military service members; we want everyone to be aware of the unique stresses they face.

Even one death by su***de is one too many.

Come and Join Brigadier General Charles E. McGhee VFW Auxiliary to Post 341 at our Meet and Greet Open House on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 11:30am.

PACT Act and Toxic Exposure Information As the largest and oldest war veterans service organization, we have a long history of supporting service members, veterans, and their families. Learn more about us.

Today is Never Give Up Day!

This day was created several years ago as a day for people to think about their dreams and goals, work toward making them a reality and refuse to accept defeat.

It’s also a perfect day to think about the goals of the 2023-2024 Program Year. National President Carla Martinez’s goals include getting the word out about su***de prevention, raising money for the National Home Welcome Center renovation project and promoting unity by Banding Together for Our Veterans.

National Membership Ambassador Ansje Lansings’s goals include reaching 100% in current membership again this year!

National Americanism Ambassador Linda Roloff’s goals include reminding members and the public alike that “POW/MIA” stands for “Prisoner of War/Missing in Action” in reference to soldiers who have not made it home – in other words, they’re “more than letters.”

And National Mentoring for Leadership Ambassador Francine Cornish’s goals include embracing CARE. (C: Catch the member when they first join. A: Ask them to participate. R: Remember what it felt like to be new. E: Engage them in a Program that fits them!)

Learn more about the goals of each of our National Ambassadors and our National President in the 2023-2024 National Program Book, available under Member Resources behind MALTA login!

What are your goals for this Program Year? Feel free to share in the comments… and never give up!