We are wives, mothers, grandmothers, sisters,
daughters & granddaughters
of American Legion members, those who have served America with pride and honor.
We are The 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. 
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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.

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Dearest Members,

I need to start this off with a profound apology to the members that attended last week’s meeting. When it came time to do the POW-MIA remembrance, the chair cover was nowhere to be found - thank goodness E board member Cheryl Eubanks was able to grab the one belonging to the Post so we could proceed. This morning when I went to get my paperwork from the car, there was our chair cover, tucked safely in the box I keep the gavel in, which means last night it was sitting on the table behind me the whole time. It also means that I looked right at it at least one time, but it just didn’t register in my feeble brain - obviously my short term memory is fading fast - in fact, I
often forget that I am forgetting. So, if I don’t put the cover on the table before the meeting, will someone please kindly remind me to look in my purple plastic box - or maybe it’s blue - right now I don’t remember.

It was nice to see new members Toni and Tamara at the meeting last night - I had a chance for a quick word with each of them, and was so glad to see they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I hope all our new members feel welcome, and that they know if they have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
It was another evening chock full of business and a special presentation of some the written history from the very beginnings of Unit 716. A very special thank you to Mary Hernandez for organizing the presentation - we have such a rich history to protect, and she was instrumental in presenting it. This will be a running theme throughout the coming year, as we approach our 100th birthday as the American Legion Auxiliary.

We’ve also had some new young ones come into the fold - the nucleus of our Junior Auxiliary program, which we will once again be activating. Most of you should already know Alison Stevens (I hope I spelled that right), who is always at the Post helping not just the Auxiliary, but the Sons and the Legionnaires too. I was pleasantly surprised by our conversation after the meeting - seems Alison has lots of ideas for Junior activities, but until now had nowhere to go with them. So, with our new Juniors Elizabeth,Cadence and Angela, along with the rest of our eligible Juniors, we will soon be off and running. Some of you Senior members may have daughters or granddaughters, 6-17 years old, that might be interested in this program - if so, please let me know so we can invite them to the meeting.

I want to touch on something I didn’t get to last night - we handed out a sheet designed for the donation of the Box Tops for Education coupons you can find on a lot of different products (did you know they can be found on Baggies products?). There is a website for this program, but I have plenty of collections sheets available. This is a no expense, easy way to make a donation to our Education program. Every filled sheet brought to the meeting next month gets a bonus card. When I was actually in the kitchen on a regular basis, I would keep a little canister on the counter next to the trash
can, so I could just rip the coupon off before I put the package in the trash (the recycling bin, of course!). Same goes for the pop tops on soda cans - we collect those also. They go to Ronald McDonald House, and we have collection boxes for those in the bar at the Post, or I will gladly take a baggie full if you bring them to the meeting, and trade you a bonus card for them. 

Our cookbook project submission deadline has been pushed back to October 15th, so if this something you have been thinking about but have not gotten to yet, you have a little more time. Joni Redman wanted to remind all 203 plus members that you can make this project a success as well as be a part of this important birthday by submitting a recipe. You can get submission sheets and drop off your recipes and donations in the bar, or to Joni or myself. 

Just got off the phone with Joanie Harris - she won’t be at next month’s meeting because she and hubby Bruce are going on a cruise - those of you who have worked with Joanie know she’s always talking about cruising, but this time she will actually be on a boat. Anyway, she mentioned how many of us seem to be nursing sore knees lately - maybe we need to create a new HOCK program (Help Our Crabby Knees). She got some WD40 to put on her screen door, and then thought maybe it would work on her knees . . .
Good to hear Cindy Mayfield is on the mend after some pretty intensive surgery. We sent her a token of our best wishes for a speedy recovery and hope to see her soon - we miss her.
A shout out to Elizabeth Stevens, one of our newest Senior members having
graduated from Juniors). She is receiving a very prestigious award from her college, recognition for her excellent grades and very hard work. Congratulations to her!
I received my renewal notice from Department by email last week. That time of year is here, and gets confusing sometimes - if you renew your membership at the Post, either in the bar or at the meetings, and then you get a renewal request either in the mail orby email, please ignore it. Renewals sent out by Department are triggered early and sent out independently of the transmittals we mail in. If you have a paid receipt, that’s
all that matters. If you pay your dues online, you do not get an instant membership card - we have to wait until that information is posted to our membership site before we can issue a card. If you have any other questions, check with Kelly or myself. (Bonus card word  - membership) 
Last month I messed with Mary’s emailing of the newsletter by trying to include the meeting minutes with it - because it is two separate emails, it became cumbersome trying to turn the two into one. This month we will post the minutes to the website for you to read there - website address is losalamitosunit716.org. Also, I keep copies of all the handouts, so if you miss a month, they are available at the meetings if you want them. Also, I put a few copies of the newsletter in the hopper on the notice board outside of the kitchen, if you want one. I am getting positive feedback on the
newsletters, which is gratifying, but I would like input if there is other info you would like to see included, or changes to the content, or anything else you would like me to know. Email me at ​ jetts1grma@gmail.com​  . . .
Lastly, don’t forget our great chicken dinner on September 22, 6-8pm, and of course, the crazy fun Oktoberfest party on Saturday, October 6th, 6-10pm.
If I have forgotten anything, I apologize, and refer you to the first paragraph of the newsletter.
​See you all at the October meeting on Monday the 8th at 7pm.
On time for once,
Deborah


 
 

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NEXT MEETING 
MONDAY OCTOBER 8 @7PM

​Donna Phillips
Denise Martinez
Donna Ficklin
Antoinette Mikrut
​Donna Phillips

Amy Armstrong
Kristi Carr
Abigail Chernilla
Cathy Cocks
Dana Lillian
Ramona Estrada
Cheryl Eubanks
Dolores Frisby
Sherry Hamlin
Jackie Keating-Prichard
Autumn King
Chanitra Mitchell
​Carolee Rechow
Catherine Ruiz
Omarsela Rvedas
Rosemary Sanchez
Meloni Stevens
Heidi Winkler M.D.
​
​

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Los Alamitos Unit 716 Officers 2018-2019

President - Deborah Driscoll
First Vice - Kelly Huff
Second Vice - Susana Stevens
Secretary - Leslie Goneya
Treasurer - Lori Soutar
Sgt at Arms and Historian - Krista Young
Marshall - Joanie Harris
Parliamentarian - Mary Hernandez
E-Board
Cheryl Eubanks
Barbara Schrack
Joanie Redman
Junior Past president - Irene Hallam

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SUPPORT THE AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY UNIT 716 LOS ALAMITOS. Thank you for your generosity. Without the support of our generous donors, the American Legion Auxiliary could not maintain the range of work undertaken by our organization. To those of you who joined us in service to our veterans, military and their families this year, we extend a special word of thanks.

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