Renee Fulk
2018-2019 National
“Buddy”® Poppy
Reminder: Goal #2 “Buddy”® Poppy Education and Community Outreach
I hope Auxiliaries have been out in your communities distributing “Buddy”® Poppies. While doing so, it is important to make sure folks who are receiving poppies and making donations for them are also educated in their history and why we have this flower of remembrance. It will amaze you how much of an impact our presence and the “Buddy”® Poppy has on our community; especially with the children.
Many years ago, a Comrade from the Post where I was a member of the Auxiliary challenged the children to recite the poem “In Flanders Field” and those who recited it correctly were rewarded with a candy bar. What a fun, educational and rewarding challenge for the kiddos!
VFW National Home for Children
National President Special Project – Update
$85,000 – Goal
$39,660.79 – Total as of 1/2/2019
$45,339.21 – Total Needed
Please keep up the great work on promoting our National President’s special project. I BELIEVE we can do it. If your Auxiliary would like some project ideas for the National Home, please contact Sue Alverson, Director of Marketing and Development at 866-483-9642.
My Helpline Story
I would like to share a recent experience I had. I was invited to set-up a table at a Family Freedom Festival to present information regarding the National Home for Children which was hosted by District 4, Department of California as well as Hawthorne Post and Auxiliary 2075. The Auxiliary invited their local Congresswoman, Maxine Waters, to the event and she attended.
After giving a talk, she visited all the tables demonstrating our Auxiliary programs and when she and her assistant came to the National Home table, she asked me, “What do we have here?” I told her about the VFW National Home for Children and how veteran and/or military families who are in need, may be eligible to live at the National Home for up to four years for free. Her eyes widened, and she said, “I never knew this existed! I have veteran families coming to my office all the time asking for assistance.” I asked her if she would take a Military & Veteran Family Helpline card and brochure and promote our helpline as a resource for veteran and military families in need. She was very excited, readily agreed and took the information.
Have you thought about inviting your elected officials to your Family Freedom Festival? There are times when their constituents reach out to their offices for assistance and it is good for them to have this valuable resource to help veteran and military families in need. Thank you to Hawthorne Post and Auxiliary 2075 and District 4, Department of California for inviting me to your Family Freedom Festival!
SWAP CORNER
The Department of Maryland shared the following wonderful Auxiliary projects:
- Auxiliary 521 (Donna Markus) – provided 600 “Buddy”® Poppies to Sacred Heart Glyndon school for use in Veteran’s Day observance. All students and faculty wore a poppy on November 12 and during their social studies classes were given age-appropriate information about the origin of the poppy.
- Auxiliary 6658 (Libby DallaTezza) – a member visited a school for Veterans Day program and spoke on the “Buddy”® Poppy, read “In Flanders Fields” and gave out 30 packets with 40 “Buddy”® Poppies in each (for a total of 1200 “Buddy”® Poppies) to the teacher to distribute to the students.
- Auxiliary 7687 (Cheri Brown) – sent “Buddy”® Poppies to their adopted unit in Afghanistan; distributes “Buddy”® Poppies at all events, even the Christmas tree lighting event, and use “Buddy”® Poppies for decorations and made donations.
- Auxiliary 8126 (Kerri Roman) – distribute “Buddy”® Poppies at events, use “Buddy”® Poppies for decorations, have wrapped 300 silverware pieces with “Buddy”® Poppies in the last month, have made donations to the National Home;
- Auxiliary 10081 (Mary Cardinal-Vogt) – had a member dressed in “Buddy”® Poppies all over her sweater who passed out candy wrapped with Buddy Poppies for Halloween (and explained about the “Buddy”® Poppy when asked), used “Buddy”® Poppies for decorations and made donations.
Please Share your Wonderful Auxiliary Projects/Programs (SWAP) with your Department Chairman.