Auxiliary President – Sharon Pierson

AUXILIARY MARCH EVENTS
• Blue Star Banners: This month we happily presented Mae Benjamin with a three (3) star Blue Star banner in honor of her son Ronald E. Wilson, her grandson Michael B. Wilson and her granddaughter Kylah Wilson.
• Tent City Veterans: A couple of Unit 44 members made the trip to Las Cruces on March 2nd with American Legion Riders from all over the state of New Mexico to visit the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, where several veterans are living in a “tent city”. The Riders took these veterans to a local Wal-Mart and purchased clothing and a pair of boots for each of them. The Community of Hope works with these veterans and other homeless persons and families to provide them with shelter and food and to help reintegrate them into society. Further information will be forthcoming in the next newsletter and at the April meeting.

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• St. Patrick’s Day Potato Bar: We had a great turnout on March 17th for our fundraiser Potato Bar and Cake Walk. Everyone seemed to enjoy the potatoes, the cakes, the green beer and the Irish music. It was so successful we hope to host another one this fall. Thanks to all of you who baked potatoes or provided the wonderful toppings for them as well as those who baked for the cake walk. A special thanks to Linda Nenno for doing such a great job on the logistics of it all.

• Girls State Bake Sales: Our Girls State Chairman, Arlea Hadley, is getting creative in her efforts to raise money for our Girls State participants this year. Starting with the bake sale on April 13th you will be able to purchase not only all kinds of cakes, cookies and pies – but also small casseroles. So stop by the Post for breakfast and take home dinner and dessert. Anyone who would like to contribute by baking please contact Arlea Hadley, Ginny Lucero or Sharon Pierson.

Shown in this photo are Linda Nenno and Linda Ross. Graduates not pictured are Marty Novak, Sharon Pierson, and Rita Seiler.

• Leadership Course Graduates: Liz Foster, Leadership Chairman for Department and Unit 44, presented Pins and Certificates of Graduation with Honors to five Unit members at the March meeting. These graduates were from the third graduating class of those who have completed the Senior Leadership Course. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the American Legion Auxiliary, its history and what we stand for should take this course. It’s free, easy to complete and very interesting. Contact Liz Foster to arrange a class time.
• Poppies: You have to give her credit – Doris Hutchinson, aka Joyce Hudgens is really working hard to get Poppies planted and growing around our community. She met with the local Garden Club to discuss the best ways to grow these wildflowers and got her name in the paper for it . . . er, uh, well very nearly, that is the ladies of the Garden Club believe she has an alias (Doris Hutchinson). Cudos to you Joyce for being such a good sport about the whole matter. We all know your real name is . . . Gladys Hobson, right?
UPCOMING EVENTS
• Easter Egg Hunt at NMSVH: Don’t forget our Unit is to supervise the egg hunt for the 1-2 year olds and 2 of the six races to be held at the NMSVH Saturday March 30th from 1-2:30pm. They are expecting a big turnout and we really need volunteers to help with this event so, please, if you’d like to come out and supervise a group of young children having a lot of fun please give me a call. Sharon Pierson 740-3639.
• BUNCO Party: April 11th, 1pm at the Post – MARK THIS DAY ON YOUR CALENDARS LADIES!!!! The Auxiliary is hosting a Bunco Party and it should be a LOT of fun! The cost is $10/person to play for 4 hours. No skill required – this is entirely a game of chance so any and all can play. Please join us for a fun-filled afternoon.
• Spring District Meeting: The District 7 meeting this spring is being held in Deming at the LaFonda Restaurant (601 East Pine). District Officers will be elected and our Unit has two members in the running: President (Liz Foster) and Vice President (Davonna Armijo). The cost to each member who attends will be $1 registration fee and $8.95 for the Mexican Buffet lunch. Registration begins at 10am. Those who would like to carpool together should gather at the Post no later than 8am, Sunday April 21st.
• Volunteer Hours: Yearend reports are due soon so everyone please submit your volunteer hours, miles driven and dollars donated to Marty by April 15th if at all possible. Forms are available to help you calculate your numbers. Please contact Marty Novak or Sharon Pierson if you need the form or any help determining what to report. These hours are critical in helping us maintain our tax exempt status.
• Photo Release Forms: We have recently received a “stock” photo release form from Department and they strongly suggest we have all members sign one. By signing one of these forms you would be giving us permission to post photos, in which you are included, on our face book page, our website, in newspaper articles, our monthly newsletters and any brochures or flyers we might want to generate for Auxiliary activities. We will have these forms available at the Post and at our March monthly membership meeting. Please pick one up and fill it out and sign it or, if you prefer NOT to have any photo of yourself posted in any media, PLEASE contact me immediately and let me know so we can be certain not to do so.
Everyone please remember to send all year end reports to me for review by April 15th. Happy Easter!

Auxiliary Membership Report – Linda Nenno

Thank you to all who have renewed or joined in the last month. Since January 1st, we gained 7 new members; Denise Stevens, Alicia Arrey, Mary Burke, Davonna Stoner, Nancy Stoner, Cyndi Mipf, Lea Brooks, and Windy Barnes. We had two reinstatements, and one transfer. As of March 26, we only need 39 more members to join or renew by May 15. We CAN do this!! If you know of anyone who is eligible to join the Auxiliary, contact me (575-642-6164) or give them an application. If you have not renewed for 2013, please do it now.
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The Chaplain’s Corner – Marty Novak

PRAYER FOR THE MILITARY: Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.

GET WELL WISHES: Papa Vince, Sofio Trujillo,Butch Walters, Bob Shuey, Jerry Light, Maida’s grandson, Liz Foster, Ruth Handlin and my sister, June George

OUR CONDOLENCES: Our condolences to the family of Jim Ridens. We will miss him and his wonderful smile.

IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD
In spite of the fact we complain and lament
And view this old world with much discontent,
Deploring conditions and grumbling because
There’s so much injustice and so many flaws,
It’s a wonderful world and it’s people like you
Who make it that way by the things that they do…
For a warm ready smile or a kind, thoughtful deed,
Or a hand outstretched in an hour of need
Can change our whole outlook and make the world bright
Where a minute before just nothing seemed right…
It’s a wonderful world and it always will be
If we keep our eyes open and focused to see
The wonderful things man is capable of
When he opens his heart to God and His love.
Helen Steiner Rice

CARE PACKAGES AND CELL PHONES: We sent 67 Care Packages in March. Thanks to all who helped. And of course, thank you to all the generous people and to the Post and the community for their monetary help with this project. It’s getting that time of the year that our Troops need neck coolers to help them handle the heat. If anyone interested in making them , let me know and I will get the instructions to you. Any help in this is appreciated. As a reminder…the desserts that are donated by our members for the Wednesday night dinners help fund our Care Package project. We ask that you give a minimum of $1.00 for each dessert. Your generosity is appreciated.

We are an official collection site for cell phones that are no longer being used. These are sent for recycling and provide calling cards for the soldiers. We send the calling cards in our Care Packages. There is a collection container just outside the door of the Post.

What is a Veteran: A Veteran…whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve…is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount of “up to, and including his/her life.” That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that act..