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Post 38 - Pulaski County, Kentucky

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After the formation of The American Legion in 1919, several existing women’s organizations wanted to become the official affiliate of the Legion. A committee decided to create a new organization made up of the women most closely associated with the men of the Legion. During The American Legion’s first convention Nov. 10, 1919, members and officials “birthed” the American Legion Auxiliary.

This Auxiliary would perform those portions of Legion activities that were more suitably performed by women. In less than one year, 1,342 local units in 45 states of the Women’s Auxiliary to the American Legion had been organized.

At the Legion’s second convention in September 1920, the Legion sanctioned the Auxiliary. The Legion’s Committee on Women’s Auxiliary presented some recommendations to the Legion, one being that the women decide upon their name. And the women did just that at the Auxiliary’s first convention in 1921, omitting the word “women’s” – thus becoming the American Legion Auxiliary.

From the beginning, both organizations’ main goals were to help veterans and their families. Today, there are over 2 million veterans in over 12,000 posts worldwide.

The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) has three-quarters of a million members in over 8,000 communities. The American Legion Auxiliary has come a long way from “doing the activities more suitable for women” – in 2018, the organization’s volunteer hours had an impact of over $1 billion through services to service members, veterans and their families, and our communities.

Also in 2018: over 4,000 scholarships were awarded; $18 million was raised and spent on the ALA Girls State program; over $82 million was raised/spent to benefit children; and 5.5 million poppies were distributed with nearly $4.4 million raised. Over 3 million veterans were assisted, 356,000 military families were served, and $189 million was spent on community service projects alone.

The American Legion Auxiliary has advocated for veterans rights, including the GI Bill and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, and ending homelessness among veterans.

The American Legion Auxiliary can still be seen baking pies and serving dinners to our many veterans as well as sending care packages to deployed troops and writing notes to wounded veterans in hospitals. Our membership makes a difference.

 

AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY

 

Mission Statement

In the spirit of Service, Not Self, the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to support The American Legion and to honor the sacrifice of those who serve by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military, and their families, both at home and abroad. For God and Country, we advocate for veterans, educate our citizens, mentor youth, and promote patriotism, good citizenship, peace and security. 

Vision Statement

The vision of the American Legion Auxiliary is to support The American Legion while becoming the premier service organization and foundation of every community providing support for our veterans, our military, and their families by shaping a positive future in an atmosphere of fellowship, patriotism, peace and security.

Purposes

In fulfillment of our Mission, the American Legion Auxiliary adheres to the following purposes:

Values

Our statement of values is predicated on the founding purposes:

Why We Matter

Founded in 1919, the American Legion Auxiliary helps to advance the mission of The American Legion. With nearly three-quarters of a million members, it is the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization and one of the nation’s most prominent supporters of veterans, military, and their families. ALA members volunteer millions of hours annually, with a value averaging $2 billion each year. From helping to draft the GI Bill in 1944 to advocating for veterans on Capitol Hill, The American Legion Family has been instrumental in advancing legislation that improves the quality of life for our nation’s veterans.