April 18, 2016To: Unit Presidents Department Chairmen/Committee

Department Executive Committee Past Department PresidentsDistrict Chairmen Hospital Representatives & Deputies

This mailing includes information regarding the 2016 Department Convention to be held in Independence, Ohio, June 24, 25, & 26, 2016. Please read all instructions carefully and adhere to deadlines.

Reminder: Recently a mailing went out to all Unit Secretaries, Unit Data Form was due April 1, 2016 and Certification of Unit Officers form is due June 1, 2016. Both forms must be completed and returned to Department Headquarters immediately. If this form is not returned, the Unit will not receive important mailings from Department Headquarters. Correct addresses and member ID numbers are essential.

Department Convention Information-Department Convention Official CallDepartment Convention Rules and Order of BusinessResolutions RulesTentative Program (blue)Department Convention Housing Information and Form (pink) – Deadline June 1, 2016Department Convention Delegate Certification Form (blue) – Deadline June 1, 2016Department Convention Alternate Certification Form (yellow) – Deadline June 1, 2016Alternate to Delegate Certification (lilac)- Deadline June 1, 2016Delegate and Alternate Pre-Paid Registration Form (gray) – Deadline June 1, 2016Delegate-At-Large Pre-Paid Registration Form (pink) – Deadline June 1, 2016Past Presidents Parley Reception (salmon) – Deadline June 15 , 2016Corsage Order Form (pink) – Deadline June 1, 2016Resolution FormGoal Unit Processional (goldenrod)Amendment to Department Bylaws Convention Program Ad Information-Form Rock N Roll Party (white)Candidate Flyers- Shirley Maurer, Debbie Monroe, Kathy Heichel

Other Information:Department President’s LetterMembership Bulletin (yellow) -Membership ChairmanPublic Relations (ivory )-Public Relations ChairmanOhio Rocks (ivory)Chaplain (buff) – Unit ChaplainCommunity Service (tan) – Comm. Service ChairmanFood Drive @ Department Convention (salmon)Education (buff) – Unit HistorianHistory (ivory) – Unit HistorianLeadership(salmon) – all membersLegislative (buff)Poppy (cherry)

KatieKatie Tucker

PHONE (740) 452-8245SECRETARY / TREASURER

Katie TuckerOFFICE OF

A M E R I C A N L E G I O N A U X I L I A R YDepartment of Ohio, Inc.

PO BOX 2760ZANESVILLE, OHIO 43702-2760

Department Secretary/Executive Director

MESSAGE FROM YOUR ROCKING PRESIDENT

MARTHA SETLOCKAPRIL BULK MAIL

Will we ever see Spring? Just when it gets a little warmer Jack Frost

makes a visit. Keep rocking and you will get warm . Hopefully you were

able to get all your reports done and even wrote some essays. Wouldn’t it be

good if we had 100% reporting from all Units?

Poppy Shop was well attended and Chairman Kathy Heichel did a great job. If you have never attended one you have

missed a great program. Our National Central Division Vice President, Lynda Lancaster, gave an inspiring talk and she

really enjoyed spending time in her sister state (she is from WV). Ohio Poppy Shop impressed her so much that she

wants to try to get other states that don’t have a Poppy Shop to get started on organizing one.

Ladies, our donations are down again this year. Please check your budgets and consider making more donations. Our

VA Hospitals/Clinics can use more, as well as Nurse’s Scholarships, AEF and women veterans. Don’t forget my special

project – “Volunteers of America- Homeless Veterans”. Thanks to all those units and individuals who have already

made donations. We need to give these homeless veterans HOPE.

Members have been asking about my “Ohio Rocks for Veterans” tee shirts. I have a few size mediums left. To order

more I need a concrete minimum order of 50. I have been busy visiting Post and Unit activities. If you are having a

special event and want me to attend, I still have a few days left on my calendar. Contact me and see if am available.

I wish all you District Presidents Best of Luck with your upcoming District Summer Conventions. They are a lot of work

and time to make them successful but you will succeed. Please get the word out to all your members to attend.

Keep up the good work serving our veterans, their families,

and our communities.

Service Not Self and don’t forget to “ROCK”. GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.

MEMBERSHIPDenise Conrad 1st Vice President, Membership Chairman

REJOIN: I have recently received several calls and emails about Rejoin, asking me to explain just what it is and who qualifies. A REJOIN member is a person who paid dues to any Unit, in any state, at any time prior to 2014. They must meet the following criteria:

1) They have not paid dues in the past 2 years (last paid in 2013 or before)2) Wishes to become a member again3) Does NOT wish to pay back dues to maintain continuous years of membership

If a person has been a member before (regardless of how long it has been) they still have a Membership number registered with National because National does not reuse numbers. Therefore if a person has been a member at any time, even in another state, please contact Heather at Department Headquarters so that she can search the National database to find the original membership number assigned to that person.

RENEWAL: There are 2 ways a member is classified as a Renewal.1) A person who pays her dues every year and maintains her continuous years of

Membership. 2) If a person has not paid in several years and wishes to pay ALL years back dues to

maintain her continues years of Membership, then that member would be considered a RENEWAL. If she has not paid her dues for several years and has dropped from the Unit roster, please call Heather to obtain her original number from National and pay all back dues to maintain her continuous years of Membership.

There are currently 121 Units in Ohio that are within 10 members of being a goal Unit. Reach out to members with personal contact by phone, maybe offer to pick up the dues and spend a little time catching up with the member about things going on in her life and the Auxiliary. You might also contact your District President for members that might be in your area and are on the Department 888 list. These members are usually members who are from a Unit which no longer is chartered. All they need is to be asked to be a member of your Unit. This list was given to all District Presidents at the recent DEC meeting.

Ladies, we still have several months left in this Membership year. Our Membership year does not end until July 31, 2016. As we get closer to the end of the year, one suggestion might be to offer this year and next year dues at a discount price with the approval of your Unit

members (mandatory $17 dues transmittal per year per member to Department). That way you get them to pay for this year and have a jump start on next year’s membership.

We are still offering a first year FREE membership for any female Veteran or currently serving female soldier that would like to join using her own service as her eligibility.

ARE YOU “KEEPING THE PROMISE”?“I promise to work the centennial plan”

--102% July 30, 2016 - “I Promise to continue working membership”

--100% July 4, 2016 – “I Promise to celebrate our independence”

--95% June 14, 2016 – “I Promise to fly my flag every day!”

--90% May 21, 2016 – “I Promise to continue to support our military.”

--85% April 10, 2016 – “I Promise to plant the seeds of membership!”

--80% March 15, 2016 – “I Promise to breathe life into our organization!”

--75% February 14, 2016 – “I Promise to show my love for our veterans!”

--70% January 15, 2016 – “I Promise to celebrate new and renewed members”

--60% December 7, 2015 – “I Promise to honor those who gave their lives to save ours.”

--45% November 11, 2015 – “I Promise to thank a veteran for their service to our country!”

--35% October 12, 2015 – “I Promise to explore new ways of signing up members.”

--25% September 7, 2015 – “I Promise to pay my dues early!”

Department is currently 77%

Next Dept. %

--???? August 1, 2015 – “I Promise to do my best to work membership.”

PUBLIC RELATIO

By the time you read this, green reports will have been submitted; the year will be almost over with; summer conventions and the department convention will be fast approaching. Don’t you wonder where the year has gone? I know I do. It seems like yesterday that I was sending out my first article and first newsletter to all of you.

Poppy Days will be coming shortly. Remember to get the word out when you will be distributing Poppies. Ask your Juniors to help with this. When a Junior approaches someone, it is hard to say no to them. Find out in your community what activities will be taking place for Memorial Day and offer to help in any way you can.

Remember that MEMBERSHIP and PUBLIC RELATIONS is not over with yet. Membership is year round. Try to get those last few members to make goal. Offer them an incentive. Pay their dues for this year and put the dues they have given you on for next year.

Public Relations must continue because President Martha’s year is not over yet. She will be a part of upcoming events. Send me those pictures so I can put them in her press book to remember her year.

Check to make sure that the delegates that you are sending to Buckeye Girls State are set to go and don’t have any questions. If you cannot answer the questions, have them call Department Headquarters and ask for Dean. Remind them that they must attend the entire week to get their BGS Graduation Certificates.

Please remember we still have an ongoing “RING YOUR BELL” contest for the second half of our reporting year. Entries from January 1, 2016 to May 31, 2016 will be tabulated and the winners will be announced at the Department Convention. Each winner will be given a certificate in her Membership Category. Please do not wait until the last minute to send me your articles. June is a very busy month for officers and chairmen to get everything done by Department Convention.

Shirley Maurer2015-2016 Public Relations Chairman

CHAPLAIN

Mary Lee MercierApril 2016

Springtime Prayer

For flowers that bloom about our feetFor tender grass, so fresh, so sweetFor song of bird and hum of beeFor all Spring’s gifts we hear and seeFather in heaven, we thank Thee

For blue of stream and blue of skyFor pleasant shade of branches highFor fragrant air and cooling breezeFor beauty of the blooming treesFather in heaven, we thank Thee

Dear God,Spring is a metaphor for change. Some changes we eagerly await, and some we dislike. Some changes we plan and some arrive uninvited. To all these changes we ask the gift of your perspective, beckoning us to expectation and hope.

May the sunlight and the rain be reminders that You are at work renewing the earth. As a God of renewal, you are also ever at work in our lives.

Please open our eyes and our lives to the needed changes in our lives this Spring and awaken us to a new perspective.

We ask in your name, Amen

Community Service

Making our communities better places in which to live is something Auxiliary members strive for each and every day across this country. Whether it is hosting a stand down to bring vital health and support services to homeless veterans or coordinating a send-off or welcome-home event for a deployed military unit, Auxiliary members are continuously at work in their communities, demonstrating the compassion and heart we have for those who serve our country and give so much. Community Service projects focus on enhancing the quality of life for veterans and their families.

A major outreach program of the Auxiliary since 1926, Community Service also demonstrates our longstanding commitment to supporting the work of American Legion posts and other organizations in providing assistance with blood drives, first aid and CPR training, child safety programs, support for women in shelters, and disaster and emergency preparedness programs. All community projects point toward improving life for our veterans and their families, and the most important Auxiliary Community Service projects involve making donations to and supporting shelters for homeless veterans.

Community Service each day of the year! Now is the time to start planning for your community service projects for 2016-2017.Please plan at least one Community Service project. Make sure to wear you American Legion Auxiliary

clothing and ALWAYS be patient, KIND, and understanding with other groups. YOU are our face in the community. We care so much about our programs it may be hard to be patient; but if we are and we work together for the good of the community we will keep growing our units.

American Legion Auxiliary

Dept. of Ohio

E D U C A T I O N

Greetings to all our wonderful ladies in the American Legion Auxiliary of Ohio. April is

now upon us; Spring has sprung and we are all busy getting our yards in order, filing taxes and,

of course, year end reports. I am so happy to see the number I have received to date and see all

the involvement our Units dedicate to the Education program. It is so important to submit year-

end reports in order that we can not only learn what Units are doing but have the number of

volunteer hours, dollars spent, how the program may affect our Veterans and/or the community.

The data is compiled and submitted to both the Department office but the National chairman as

well!

Its also the time of year that scholarship applications are due, three for National

consideration and one for Department. The three National scholarships are as follows:

1. Children of Warriors - 16 applications received, two tied in points and were submitted

2. Spirit of Youth - 3 applications were received, one submitted

3. Non-Traditional - 1 application received and submitted

The Department President's scholarship had 14 applicants. The winners (2) will be announced

at Summer Convention. It is not an easy task selecting those for National consideration nor

Department scholarship awardees as all of them are winners in their own right. It is very

encouraging to read of their involvement at school, church, community and their plans for

furthering their education.As Auxiliary members, we must continue to be involved in

Educational programs within your local school system and make the information available

regarding both Department and National scholarships.

Thank you and God bless for all you do in support of the Education program and the

American Legion Auxiliary.

Carole Sowards, Education Chairman

Pam Bates, Department of Ohio Leadership Chairman2122 Willow Run Circle; Enon, OH 45323; 937-974-2316pamelabates9@gmail.com (preferred communication)

TALK THE TALK…WALK THE WALK

Hard to believe that Spring is here…District, Department and National Conventions are just around the corner. I want to commend each Unit and District who rocked themselves into fulfilling the Leadership goals as set forth in the Plan of Action. Let’s review what some Units and Districts did this administrative year. Some did all, some did a few and some did none. For those who DID – you talked the talked and walked the walk. For those reported nothing, I am hoping next year you will! If you look at this list, I truly bet there is something that you did. These were all activities listed in the National and Ohio Plan of Action.

1. Develop future leaders at all levels of the organization.• Attended a workshop/training session to learn about available tools, resources and leadership opportunities available.• Worked with a mentor to develop/enhance interest, skills and knowledge at the ALA.• Chaired a short-term project.• Gave a short presentation on an ALA program to the unit.• Explained to members why we do the things we do (tradition, history).• Held a workshop on how to be a chairman and/or organize a project.• Encouraged a member to temporarily serve as unit president, chaplain, etc. for a meeting.• Surveyed members to identify interest and skills.• Developed a plan to use tools and resources monthly or quarterly at meetings.• Held a workshop/brunch on how to prepare reports.• If unit budget allows, considered a gift of the ALA pin to new members.• Purchased a unit handbook to share among members at meetings.2. Enhance leaders’ knowledge about ALA history, programs and organization.• Personally took and encouraged others to take the Welcome to the American Legion Auxiliary Senior Auxiliary Basics, A Course on our history and Legacy at www.ALAforVeterans.org under the Leadership tab. Took the online Ohio Leadership course. www.alaohio.org• Attended district/department training sessions/workshops.• Volunteered to be a trainer/course leader.• Asked questions.• Shared past experiences.• Prepared a personal history of your involvement in the organization; refer toWelcome to the American Legion Auxiliary Senior Auxiliary Basics, A Course on ourHistory and Legacy at www.ALAforVeterans.org under the Leadership tab, to discover from national happenings what may have influenced the personal history.• Offered a new member orientation packet and initiation.• Offered a refresher course for all members on Auxiliary information.• Recognized members who have completed the courses either in a meeting, via publicrelations or membership.

3. Encourage the use of Auxiliary reference documents and materials, such as the UnitGuide Book and Constitution & Bylaws.

• Download/purchased the referenced documents and become familiar with them.• Volunteered to assist a Junior member in learning about documents of the ALA.• Asked questions about any programs or terminology you don’t fully understand.• Asked members to review the Unit Guide Book, Unit Constitution & Bylaws, Department Constitution & Bylaws and National Constitution & Bylaws noting things they don’t understand or find puzzling.• Set aside time to discuss important Auxiliary documents at unit meetings and develop a committee to address changes in procedures based upon a review of the referenced documents.• Developed a plan to assist Junior members in learning about the referenced documents.• When creating your unit Plan of Action, used the guide book to review program explanations, follow your department chairman’s Plan of Action. The complete national Plan of Action can be found on the national Auxiliary website.• Held a workshop to explain unit Constitution & Bylaws, Standing Rules, how the unitfinances are structured, how the budget is planned and how to write meeting minutes.• Set aside a “show me where it’s printed” at meetings where a member can ask why something is done the way it is or where in the C&B it says we have to do it this way.• Asked members to review the Unit Guide Book, Unit Constitution & Bylaws, Department Constitution & Bylaws and National Constitution & Bylaws noting things they don’t understand or find puzzling and address what comes from the discussion by documenting the results.• Set aside time to answer any questions that arise from any discussions on Auxiliarydocuments.4. Offer a mentoring program, utilizing the knowledge and experiences of members thathave served as leaders beyond the unit level.• Volunteered to be a mentor for a senior or Junior member on the unit/department level.• Learned the process and apply for a unit, department and/or national appointment.• Sought election of a unit, department or national office.• Applied for a unit, department or national appointment.• Used positive, experienced members to train and guide new members.• Encouraged members to volunteer to train/guide new members.• Encouraged members to become “experts” in some areas so that she can become the unit mentor in that area.5. Reported. Submitted Mid-Year and End of Year Reports Provided narratives for various awards listed in the POA at both the National and Department level.

IT’S UP TO YOU TO MAKE OUR ORGANIZATION SUCCESSFUL…

DID YOU MEET THE 2015-16 YEAR CHALLENGE?!

MAY IS POPPY MONTH!

As the month begins we must remember that we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who have answered the call of military service. So get your things in order, contacts for distribution, people to work your locations, advertise, newsletters get the word out tell the story of the poppy and use the poppy all year long keep it showing so no one will forget.

Just a reminded we DO NOT SELL the poppies we DISTRIBUTE them for donations to be put in restricted funds to be used only for our veterans and their families.

QUESTIONS

1. Did you download and print bookmarks from Nationals website?2. Are you using everyone to help? Juniors, Legion, SAL members.3. Have put your poppies and cans out in the community along with the history?

Educate, distribute, and have some fun.Hoping everyone a successful POPPY DAY!

Kathy HeichelDepartment Poppy Chairman