"Strength Thru Unity"
Oklahoma ALA Department Fall Conference 2022
The ALA Department of Oklahoma Fall Conference is now in session. Thanks to everyone that is in attendance. Have a great conference.
Oklahoma ALA Department Fall Conference 2022
American Legion Auxiliary
Department of Oklahoma
September 29, 2022
To All American Legion Auxiliary Members:
This is the Official Call for the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Oklahoma Fall Conference to be held on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at Post #73 in Del City located at 5000 SE 24th Street, Del City, OK, 73115. I hope to see everyone there!
The registration fee is $10.00 payable at the door. Registration will begin at 9:00 am and the meeting will start at 10:00 am. A light lunch will be served.
There will be a DEC Meeting at this conference to review and approve the budget.
National President Vickie Koutz’s focus this year is to “Honor our Veterans Every Day”. With this in mind I believe that “Strength Thru Unity” will carry us forward this year into a new post-pandemic beginning. We must increase our membership and work the ALA programs as best we can for our veterans. We are also working diligently to get Department Headquarters back on track providing as much information to units as possible. There are several forms included in this package that need to be completed and returned to Department.
Mandatory Unit Contributions - Our Department donates $80.00 every month to each of the seven VA Centers and both VA Hospitals located in Oklahoma for a total of $720.00 per month. At Christmas time Department donates $100.00 to each facility. Additionally Department donates $1,500 yearly to the Buddy Fund for the annual Christmas VA&R Tour. This brings the total yearly Department donation to $10,320 of which only $2,850 comes from mandatory unit donations. Enclosed is the 2023 MANDATORY UNIT CONTRIBUTIONS FORM showing the Unit Bond ($5.50) and the VA&R donation ($25.00). Any other donations made by the units to the VA&R General Fund will be used to help offset these costs and will be greatly appreciated.
ALAMIS is also changing for next year. It is now possible for units to have “Full” access to the ALAMIS system for their Unit or District. Full access will allow the user to not only be able to view and print reports, and make changes to member information, but to also pay their dues online (retaining the Unit portion of the dues). Enclosed are Unit and District ALAMIS ACCESS FORMS for 2023. If your unit would like to have an ALAMIS user, please complete and return the form with your payment.
Membership dues have increased on a National and Department level. Beginning in 2024, National senior membership dues will increase to $18.00 and Department senior dues will increase to $14.00. National junior dues will remain at $2.50 and Department junior dues will be $3.00. These dues increases were passed at Department Convention in July 2022 and National Convention in August 2022.
What this means is that effective for calendar year 2024, units must send $32.00 for each senior member and $5.50 for each junior member to cover the cost of dues. These costs do not include any unit or district dues. Enclosed is a 2024 UNIT DATA FORM. This must be completed and returned to Department no later than April 15, 2023 so that we can notify National of your unit’s new dues rate.
National has changed the way they are presenting the Plan of Action Programs this year. There will no longer be a consolidated National Plan of Action Report. Members should go to the National Website Committee, our Department website, and/or contact the Department Chairman for the programs they are interested in working this year.
In order to make your program selections easier, we have compiled a report of all of the Department of Oklahoma’s Program Plans of Action giving you an overview of each program, along with reporting due dates and award due dates and included it with this call. Please take the time to review the enclosed report.
My first fundraising event is a Poker Run to be held on November 5, 2022. The run will start at 9:30 am at the American Legion in Chandler (707 Legion Avenue). From there riders will go to Stroud, Drumright, Yale, Stillwater, and finally back to Chandler. Registration is between 8:30 am and 9:30 am – the donation is $20.00 per rider and $10.00 for passengers. You do not have to be a Legion or Auxiliary member to have fun on this Poker Run. In fact, you don’t even have to ride a motorcycle – a car or truck can join in on the fun also.
Christmas is rapidly approaching, and I will be making the VA&R Tour of hospitals and centers during the first two weeks of December. We are looking for donations of Christmas Cards for the Tour - if you have any extra Christmas cards please bring them to the meeting, or drop them off at Department Headquarters. Each card will be stuffed with a crisp $1.00 bill and given to every veteran in both of our VA Hospitals and all seven (7) VA Centers throughout the State. I am hopeful that this year we will be able to personally deliver them to each veteran.
age
Strength Thru Unity
Gayle Keene, President
*** Forms discussed above will be listed in the Forms and Publications page.
District 2 Call to Conference
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY
DEPARTMENT OF OKLAHOMA
SECOND DISTRICT
TO: DEPARTMENT OFFICERS & CHAIRS, SECOND DISTRICT OFFICERS & CHAIRS, SECOND DISTRICT UNIT PRESIDENTS AND AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY MEMBERS.
FROM: KRISTENE SHERBOURNE, SECOND DISTRICT PRESIDENT.
DATED: OCTOBER 15, 2022
THIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL CALL TO: AMERICAN LEIGION AUXILIARY 2ND DISTRICT CONVENTION
Date: November 19. 2022
Place: JAMES F. SMITH MEMORIAL POST 15
4021 W. BROADWAY STREET
MUSKOGEE, OK 74401 (CONTACT: 918.913.1638 (Paul Rizo)
Registration: 9:00 am- 10:00 am
Meeting Convenes: 10:00 am
Lunch: After business meeting. Donations Welcomed.
All Units bring their UNIT REPORTS to meeting.
REGISTRATION FEE: $1.00. VA COFFEE: $1.00 GIFTS FOR YANKS: $1.00.
Please inform District 2 Officers of any Member passing away for the Memorial Service.
UNITS: Please bring SILENT AUCTION ITEMS for District 2 fundraiser.
Suggestion: Baked goods…..
All correspondence, please address to:
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY DISTRICT 2
P.O, BOX 1066, WAGONER, OK 74477
Plan of Action Programs 2022-2023
PLAN OF ACTION PROGRAMS 2022-2023
National has changed the way they are presenting the Plan of Action Programs this year. There will no longer be a consolidated National Plan of Action Report. Members should go to either the National Website Committee, our Department website, and/or contact the Department Chairman for the programs they are interested in working this year. We have tried to make this process easier for all of our units. Please read the following information carefully.
In order to make your program selections easier, we have compiled a report of all of the Department of Oklahoma’s Program Plans of Action giving you an overview of each program, along with reporting due dates and award due dates.
We sincerely hope that every unit will work as many programs as possible and report back to the Department Chairmen on their participation. The Department Chairmen need your reports so that they, in turn, can report to National and Southern Division Chairmen. A quick email to the Chairmen on a regular basis will allow them to work on their reports throughout the year. Don’t forget to send photos if you have them. Member and unit tracking forms are on the Department’s website. These are very handy for keeping up with volunteer hours and donations.
The Plan of Action Programs for 2022-2023 will be available for download on the Department of Oklahoma’s website at www.OKAmLegionAux.org. If you need assistance in downloading any of the Action Plans or Award Forms, you can contact either Sherree Cagle at auxdeptok@sbcglobal.net (405/252-4143) or our Public Relations Chairman, Eldonna Deer at deereldonna@gmail.com (417/209-1255). You can also go to a specific committee on the National Website ALAforveterans.org.
If no one in your unit can download these Action Plans, Cover Sheets, and Award Forms, please use the Request for Plan of Action Programs form on the Forms and Publication page to mark the programs you would like to receive by mail and send to Department at PO Box 14562, Oklahoma City, OK, 73113. As you know postage and printing costs have become increasingly more expensive. A small donation for the cost of postage and printing along with your request would be greatly appreciated.
Most units are already working many of the programs and just don’t realize their contributions. For example, how many of our members fly the flag at their home or place of business? (Flying the flag falls under the Americanism program.) How many of our members have helped their neighbor by mowing their lawn or providing transportation to/from doctor’s offices or grocery stores? That falls under the Community Service program, or if it is a veteran you are helping, it could fall under the Service to Veterans program.
**** Request for Plan of Action Programs form listed in Forms and Publications page.
2022 ALA Southern Division Unit Member of Oklahoma
Congrats, Cindy Bullock, Unit 153, Wagoner, OK!!! She is the 2022 American Legion Auxiliary Southern Division Unit Member of the Year for Oklahoma. Southern Division will forward her nomination to National representing Oklahoma. Good luck, Cindy!!!
Jack C. Mongomery Hospital Muskogee, OK
VA Hospital In Muskogee To Remain Open After
Petition Collects Thousands Of Signatures
Wednesday, June 29th 2022, 9:08 pm
By: McKenzie Gladney
Veterans said that decision might be the greatest thing that’s happened in this part of Oklahoma in a long time. “Almost unbelievable to me. It was like a miracle that happened," said Don Nichols, Muskogee chapter commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. In March, the VA sent out a recommendation that Muskogee's VA hospital close, which would mean veterans would have to go to Tulsa for services. “We know that there’s people in southeastern Oklahoma that wouldn’t want to or couldn’t drive to Tulsa, where they’re building a new hospital, to get healthcare," said Nichols. Don Nichols created a petition and it collected more than 17,000 signatures. “Some days we would collect seven, eight, 900 signatures. It’s just been an amazing journey for me to see how great the Oklahoma people are. How much they support veterans. How much they support keeping the veteran hospital open," said Nichols. Nichols said the VA hospital in Muskogee lls a desperate need and Without it, many veterans wouldn’t have access to healthcare. “They’re all excited. They can’t believe like I couldn’t believe it like I couldn’t believe it. But, the hospital is going to stay open and meet their needs. Some of em’ like me.
The Purple Heart Chapter is hosting a rally on Friday at 5:30 PM in front of the Civic Center to thank the community for the support along the way.
***American Legion Auxiliary Department of Oklahoma***
Sorry for getting this out to late for everyone who wanted to go to the rally. The rally date was July 1, 2022 at the Civic Center, Muskogee, OK. I had to get permission to post this report from Griffin Communications, News on 6, Tulsa, OK. Thanks to everyone who supported to keep the Jack C. Montgomery VA Hospital, Muskogee, OK. The Veterans in this area desperately needed this hospital to stay. The Veterans in this area not only would have to go to Tulsa for a VA hospital. Some of them may have had to go to the Oklahoma City VA Hospital, Oklahoma, OK. Either they would have had to go a long ways for a VA hospital and/or services.
Preamble to the ALA Constitution
For God and Country, we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:
To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America;
To maintain law and order;
To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism;
To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in all wars;
To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation;
To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses;
To make right the master of might;
To promote peace and goodwill on Earth;
To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom, and democracy;
To participate in and contribute to the accomplishment of the aims and purposes of The American Legion;
To consecrate and sanctify our association by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.
PERPETUATING OUR VALUES
For nearly a century, The American Legion Family, which includes The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, and Sons of The American Legion, has been steadfast in support of our nation’s military. Our members promote patriotism, responsible citizenship and national security while educating youth and advocating for veterans’ rights. While members of The American Legion Family are individually unique, collectively we are a multi-million member powerhouse of caring advocates dedicated to service.
In the spirit of Service Not Self, the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to support The American Legion and honor the sacrifice of those who serve by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military, and their families, both at home and abroad.
Yvonne Girty Johnson
Obituary for