2012 DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCES

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2 Dist. Date Location Registration Time/Fee #1 4/28/12 ALA Unit County Rd NN-E Mukwonago, WI #2 4/28/12 AL Post Pleasant Hill Ave Lomira, WI #3 4/21/12 AL Post Wood Street Barneveld, WI #4 5/5/12 AL Post W. Grange Avenue Greendale, WI DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCES Registration: 8:00 9:00 am Fee: $2.00 Registration-8:00 am Fee: $1.00 Registration - 9:00 am Fee: $2.00 Conference: 10:00 am Luncheon Make check Cost Payable to: No Information available #5 No Information available #6 3/31/12 Gill s Supper Club 231 E Menasha Ave., Whitelaw, WI Registration: 8 9 am Fee:.50 #7 3/24/12 AL Post 172 Hall 106 E. Walnut Street North Freedom, WI #8 4/14/12 Moose Family Center nd Street N Stevens Point, WI #9 5/12/12 Crivello s 818 Main Street Oconto, WI #10 4/21/12 Lake St. Methodist Church 337 Lake Street Eau Claire, WI #11 4/21/12 Pine Tree Supper Club 115 W Wisconsin Ave Tomahawk, WI Registration: 8-9 am Fee: $2.00 Conference: 9:00 am 3:00 pm Registration: 8 9 am Fee: $2.00 Conference: 9:00 am Registration: 8:00 8:45 am Fee: $1.00 Registration: 8:00 am Fee: $2.00 SR/.50 JR Registration: 8:30 9:30 am Fee: $3.00 Send check to: $16.00 ALA Unit 347 Barb Simon 1017 North Avenue Lomira, WI $8.00 ALA 3 rd District Ann Rynes 1051 Haseltine Street Richland Center, WI $15.00 ALA Unit 416 Vi Kaun 7901 Specter Dr #4 Franklin, WI $9.00 ALA Unit 199 Emily Rataichek 431 Madison Street Reedsville, WI $10.00 ALA Unit 172 Sheila Frye 7725 Radcliffer Dr. Apt C Madison, WI $15.00 ALA Unit 6 Sherri Golla 1574 Agnes Drive $10.00 Oconto County ALA Stevens Point, WI Mary Brown 2014 Memorial Dr. #109 Green Bay, WI $10.00 ALA Unit 53 Jane Dale 1512 Emery St Eau Claire, WI $11.00 Marge Derby Marge Derby N9011 E Bilby Rd Tomahawk, WI #12 6/02/12 No Information available Contact Person Jennifer Shea Shirley Krier krier43@hotmail.com Ann Rynes: Sue Hembrook: Emily Rataicheck: President Ida Ferstl: VP Sheila Frye: shebrat73@charter.net Sheri Golla (715) sjgolla@charter.net Sandra Wellens 9th District 2nd VP & Oconto County President Ph: President Judy Walters jw5942@charter.net Marge Derby District President margeryderby@klinktech.net Current as of 2/10/12 Deadline No Info 4/13/12 4/13/12 4/28/12 3/15/12 3/10/12 4/1/12 5/4/12 4/6/12 4/13/12

3 AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY DEPARTMENT OF WISCONSIN P.O. Box 140, Portage WI Telephone: Toll Free: Fax: The American Legion Auxiliary Department of Wisconsin Monthly Unit Mailing is available for download from the Department website ( no later than the 10 th of every month, with the exception of July and December. If you would like to stop receiving a hard copy of the Department of Wisconsin Auxiliary Unit Mailing and access it electronically, complete the form below and return it to Department Headquarters. ALA Dept. of Wisconsin Attn: Andrea Stoltz P.O. Box 140 Portage, WI Monthly Unit Mailing Hard copy removal form: Name: District #: Unit #: Address: City: State: Zip

4 Honoring Our Veterans by Engaging the American Legion Family in Service Not Self for God and Country Greetings, We re thinking Spring, aren t we? We want an early and cheerful spring! We need good traveling for all of our spring meetings! Try to attend your District Conferences. They make us all feel like a team. I ve had some questions about the reports. This information is essential for our non-profit status to remain in good standing. We must show Congress that we are indeed targeting programs, hours, and dollars towards the mission of the ALA. We need your help for that. Get the Unit impact reports to your District President ASAP. They will send the info to me to tabulate, and I will send it to National. Questions? Call me at Narrative Reports: Please-send me information about all of the things your unit does. Include your hours, what you spent, and how many people were involved. Also send me the photos (either or letter) so I can get that to the Department Chairmen. Don t worry about a separate report for each project, (although that would be nice) I will sort it out. I will be using this information for some special awards at my convention. Please tell me your Unit #, city, and District on the form. On January 31, many memberships lapsed. If they do not renew, I cannot say that I represent 27,000 Auxiliary members from the state of Wisconsin. Instead I must say, On behalf of the 23,000 members, I bring you greetings. Where did those 4,000 members go? Please find them and get them back among our ranks. Bring your unit to 100% -because that s how we keep our organization strong! Joan Chwala, Your Department President

5 NATIONAL PRESIDENT S OFFICIAL VISIT TO WISCONSIN The Department of Wisconsin will be honored with a visit by our National President Kris Nelson of Minnesota from June 20-22, The following is a schedule of activities planned for this occasion. June 20 and 21 Attendance at our American Legion Auxiliary Badger Girls State session on the UW-Oshkosh campus. June 22, 9:00 am Complimentary breakfast at Fond du Lac Post #75 (500 Fond du Lac Ave) in celebration of the 90 th Anniversary of ALA Unit 75. Breakfast will be served at 9:00 a.m. with local dignitaries also attending. Please RSVP to Donna Wilhelms at (920) or dmjawilhelms@gmail.com by June 8 th. June 22, tentatively 11:30 am Tour of the Camouflage Quilt Project in Plymouth. June 22, Cocktails and Dinner Amore s Restaurant, 18 W. Mill St., Plymouth. Cocktails at 6 p.m. (cash bar); dinner served family style at 7 p.m. $25.00 per person. RSVP to Betty Grothe, 955 Anton Rd., Plymouth, WI Phone: (920) by June 8 th. American Legion Auxiliary members are invited to meet National President Kris Nelson at the Anniversary Breakfast at Fond du Lac Unit 75, during the tour of the Camouflage Quilt Project (more details to follow), or the Cocktails/Dinner event on June 22 nd. Reservations are limited to the first 200 people. For additional information, please contact Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan. Phone: jlp004@charter.net.

6 GREETINGS FROM DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS Executive Secretary/Treasurer Bonnie Dorniak Website: Phone: Toll free: FAX: ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT AND ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT: Units are required to submit their annual reports by March 15, The Annual Impact Report, which is a summary of information for mission-related programs that specifically support our veterans, should be submitted to your District President. Questions regarding any of the programs should be directed to the appropriate program chairman. The Annual Narrative Report should be sent to President Joan Chwala. The narrative report allows you to report any activities your Unit participated in throughout the year, and does not need to be focused on service to veterans. These reports are the best way for the Auxiliary to be recognized for all the wonderful things we do to support our veterans and our community. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR UNIT REPORT. Every Unit does something whether it s participating in Poppy Distribution, sponsoring a delegate for Badger Girls State, or hosting a bake sale to benefit a specific cause. The report forms were included in the November Unit Mailing (for December/January meetings) and are also posted on the department website. SCHOLARSHIPS: Reminder most student applications are due to Unit Presidents by March 1 st and to Education Chairman Betty Stone by March 15 th. Don t miss the deadlines! BADGER GIRLS STATE, JUNE 17-22, 2012: There is still space available. Reservation forms ($240/delegate) and the Delegate Orientation Schedule are available on the BGS website ( DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCES: Please check the separate schedule in this Monthly-Unit- Mailing or watch the Auxiliary website as updated information becomes available. WOMEN VETERANS WEEK AT CAMP AMERICAN LEGION: Camp American Legion is sponsoring a Women Veterans Week from June 18-24, A flyer with more details is included in this mailing. Please share it with all women veterans and encourage them to participate. For more information, please contact Camp Director Kevin Moshea at (715) NOTE TO UNIT TREASURERS: Department has been experiencing more problems than usual with payments made by check. Please ensure that the dollar amount listed on the check matches the words written on the line. The bank rejects these checks if not completed correctly, resulting in a delay in payment and additional expenses for the Unit and Department. These amounts must be the same. 92 nd ANNUAL DEPARTMENT CONVENTION: Start making plans to attend Department Convention from July 19-22, 2012 in Middleton. Information will be sent to Units and posted on the website as it is available. MEMORIAL SERVICE AT DEPARTMENT CONVENTION: For a deceased member to be included in the 2012 Department Convention Memorial Book, department headquarters must receive the information via a Member Data Form by May 1 st. Forms are available on the website or by calling department headquarters.

7 Honoring our Veterans by Engaging the American Legion Family in Service not Self for God and Country American Legion Auxiliary Honoring their Service with our Membership Thank you to NASA Biological Psychologist and Astronaut, Dr. Brandi Phillips for sharing her humorous as well as inspiring stories at our Mid-Winter Luncheon held on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at the Ho-Chunk Casino and Convention Center. Dr. Phillips is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary District 9 and honors her Father and Husband through her membership. As the skit performed by District 7 President Diane Weggen and Past Department President Pat Smith at the Luncheon suggested, we should all belong to AA (AA = ALWAYS ASK). As members of the Largest Women s Patriotic Organization we should ALWAYS ASK if someone is eligible to belong to our organization. Membership is the foundation and future of our organization. Second renewal notices were sent to members that did not renew in December. Reach out to these members in a friendly and positive manner and encourage them to renew and honor the veteran for whom they are eligible. Personal contact is still the best method to reach out to your unpaid members, a phone call, a personal visit, or a handwritten note, will really make a difference. Find out the reason they have not renewed their membership. For those members who are facing financial challenges, organize a fundraiser with the funds targeted to help these members. We all have at some time during our lives, needed a little extra help. Wisconsin has continued to stay in the Top 5 in the National rankings but slowly slipping downward, please help stop the membership slide. Contact your unpaid members, make them feel a part of this wonderful organization, show them what it means to Honor our Veterans with our Membership. ENGAGE TO RETAIN Why members stay: We make them feel like they are needed, and appreciate their volunteer service. We help them see that their contributions are making a difference for our Veterans, our active Military, their families and our communities. We give them jobs that are challenging and rewarding to ensure that they enjoy the experience; don t always give them the job nobody else wants. We value our Volunteers and help to keep their volunteer activities flexible to meet the needs of their families. Why members leave: They feel under-appreciated. They don t feel they are making a difference. They are tired of fighting for change when the Unit is resistant. They are given the dirty jobs no one else wants. Membership Chairman: Teresa Isensee (10th District), isensee@centurytel.net (home) (cell) Membership Committee: Kitty Larkin (1 st District), kittysltr@wi.rr.com (home) Membership Committee: Linda Kostka (11 th District), miss_linda57@hotmail.com (home) (cell) Membership Headquarters: Andrea Stoltz, alawi@amlegionauxwi.org

8 Membership Recruitment Ideas Provided by Marcia Wheatley, National Membership Committee Vice Chairman Whether or not you believe that you as an individual can make a difference, imagine what almost one million Auxiliary members, who are committed to helping veterans and the community, can do when we work together. Keep the spirit alive and talk about this great organization. IF YOU PUBLICIZE YOUR GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THEY WILL COME. Let s make this organization even stronger by recruiting/engaging/retaining members. Remember, membership is everyone s job, not just the membership chairman s. We should all be enthusiastic when talking about the Auxiliary and its great programs. You never know when someone might be listening from the far side of the room. Remember TEAMwork Together Everyone Achieves More. Here are some recruitment/engagement/retention ideas for you to try: Know your competition. Ask members why they belong to the VFW or other veteran service organizations and then explain why they need to belong to the American Legion Auxiliary as well. One of the most critical aspects of any membership program is new member orientation. Do you remember how overwhelmed you felt when you first started trying to figure out how it all fits together? New members need to know that their unit is active and interested in them. Make new members feel welcome. A Welcome letter should be sent to let the new member know that her membership is appreciated. Provide her with local contacts if she is new in the area and notify her of upcoming activities at the unit, district and department levels. Add new member names to your mailing list so that they will receive regular unit publications. Match each new member with a mentor. Create a packet of information for new members highlighting unit activities and introducing your officers and committees. Include with your welcome letter items such as a list of committees and chairmen, a calendar of events and volunteer opportunities, a recent newsletter, and facts about the Auxiliary. Hold a Get to know your local Unit meeting once each year so that members and interested parties can meet officers and other volunteers and see what the unit is all about. Hold a membership sale for renewals and new members where dues are a dollar or two cheaper. Ask The Legion to cosponsor a two for one sale. Sign up the Legion member and Auxiliary member for, say, $4 less than the full cost of separately paid memberships. Both groups get a new member and the new members get a break in price. Challenge the top recruiter of your post to sign up Auxiliary members with each new Legion member. Take the first five minutes of every meeting to have the audience introduce themselves to someone they have not met. Most Department headquarters have blank renewal forms you can order to send from your unit. One side of the form reads Dear Auxiliary member, it is time to renew your membership in the American Legion Auxiliary for another year. Whether or not you have taken part in the activities of your local unit, you have by your enrollment and payment of dues contributed to the achievement of the Auxiliary during the past year. Renew NOW that together we may build a stronger America and give aid and comfort to those in need who served and are serving that we might continue to enjoy the blessings of Freedom. Nurture the needs of the younger members in the unit (i.e. if possible offer child care so your members can attend a meeting). If you have a junior unit, perhaps they can provide the childcare. District Presidents why not sponsor a day on the phone for all units. Hold a competition to see which unit can bring in the highest percentage of membership for a Saturday afternoon or within a two-week period, for example. Give a prize to the top Unit President and Membership Chairman. If you haven t approached the Legionnaires at your post about signing up the women in their lives, do so today. Remind the legionnaires that we are there when they need letters written, cakes baked, items made for the VA centers and many other activities, so now is the time for them to help us. Take your membership roster and divide the list of non-renewals among several people of the unit. Make a personal phone call to those members that have not renewed. Take some time to speak with them and see how they are doing. Be sure to invite them to your next meeting. (They may not even know when that is.) If necessary, offer to stop by their house to pick up the check for the renewal. Drop off a membership application and ask the member to pass the application on to a family member or friend. Invest in a booth at the mall, county fair, and other locations. Develop road shows where selected unit speakers and materials are presented to other organizations a good way to solicit membership. When speaking with a member, inquire if there is any other member of their family who is not currently a member of the Auxiliary. Include membership literature with all non-member speaker gifts. Consider a gift membership for appropriate speakers. Offer to pay membership dues each year for the person who sponsors the most new members. Develop membership recruitment contests in which all members can participate. Conduct a full member survey. Find out what your members think and need. Survey non-renewing members to find out why they don t renew. Hold an annual kick-off meeting in September to share successes of the prior year and plans for the upcoming year. Maintain an open door policy. Encourage members to call you with their concerns. Price social events higher for non-members.

9 Solicit a bigwig in your company to be a supporter of the Auxiliary and use her/his influence to promote your activities and membership. Always carry Auxiliary, Legion and SAL applications and information packets with you. Have designated greeters at every meeting, outgoing people who have volunteered to chat with people as they arrive. Take the first five minutes of each meeting to have the audience introduce themselves to someone they have not met. Make an effort to talk about the Auxiliary at least once a day.. Evangelize! Wear your Auxiliary pins, not just on meeting days. Send members and prospects a year in review document every July highlighting all accomplishments and benefits. Conduct member blitz days during which officers make How are you doing and what can the unit do for you? calls. Send to member a Don t miss out flyer describing upcoming member only benefits at dues bill time. Use your newsletter to print the questions and answers most asked by your members. Find your most contented member and ask her what she enjoys most about the Auxiliary. Then use those ideas in your recruitment campaign to answer the questions Why should I join the American Legion Auxiliary? Solicit quotes from satisfied and enthusiastic members to use in a brochure or newsletter. Offer a series of special meetings limited to members only and feature a significant speaker. Recognize your volunteers through recognition, awards and newsletter features. Implement a peer recognition program. Ask the President to recognize outstanding service. Contact all members at least once a year for something other than money or dues. Hold an annual leadership training session for your officers and committee chairmen. Use your enthusiasm as you approach new members. Use the newspaper, newsletter, flyers and other publications and the Internet to kick off a renewed membership drive. Hold a membership sale during the months of February and/or March. Anyone that signs up during those months receives a discount in price. Use members areas of expertise by using them as speakers. If you have a member of your unit who works for Congress, invite them to speak on how the legislative branch works or better yet, get them to invite their boss! Give early bird renewals one raffle ticket for each month they renew before January. In December, hold a drawing and the winner receives a prize. Put early bird renewal names in a hat. Draw one at a dance or other event; the winner gets her membership paid for the following membership year. When a junior member converts to a senior membership, pay their dues for the first year. This will help retain members as they convert. Send letters to the members of the Legion offering an easy gift for loved ones Auxiliary membership. Explain the benefits of membership and offer to deliver the membership card with a note explaining the gift. For those units located near a military installation, why not bake cookies and visit the NCO club. You might pick up a member or two. And if not today, they will certainly remember your kindness later. Each unit has some wonderful stories of activities/programs that have helped the unit s community of veterans, children and others. Publicize your activities and put a note in the news release that unit #000 is accepting membership applications and how to apply. Place notes of meetings everywhere, both in the community (newspaper, grocery stores, etc.) and at your place of work. Get to know someone in the local media and tell them about the Auxiliary and its activities. Since active service personnel are not paid so well, how about offering them a discounted price to join? Then once they leave the military, they can pay full price. You might want to charge them just the amount necessary to send to Department. Give a raffle ticket, free dinner, or other gift idea to each person (Auxiliary, Legion or SAL) who recruits a new member. Hold a prospect party: Set membership objectives 25 names brought in for the prospect party will usually yield about 5 new members. Develop a list of awards you can use to persuade members to bring more prospects. Set a date and a place Make sure the date does not conflict with any major events. Announce the event through written communications and word of mouth at meetings or at social gatherings. Arrange for the distribution of brochures, pens, pencils, name tags, etc. Make phone calls five days prior and on the day of the event. The most important aspect of the Prospect Party is the follow-up. A person may be interested in joining, but was never contacted or shown personal interest. Keep a list of all attendees, and even if they do not sound interested in joining, invite them along. You may make a new member out of them over time. Did you know that renewal notices are not sent to Juniors? Each unit should develop, or work with their Department to develop, their own renewal form. Why do members leave and not renew? MEMBERS LEAVE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT INVOLVED/ENGAGED, NOT AWARE, NOT EDUCATED ABOUT THE UNIT S MISSION, GOALS, AND ACTIVITIES; AND/OR THEY ARE EXCLUDED FROM DECISION-MAKING. Retain those new members by making them feel welcome, providing meaningful opportunities to contribute, involving them in decision making, using their skills and talents and by valuing their contributions. Your passionate belief in yourself and your abilities can make the difference right now. Communicate your enthusiasm for the Auxiliary and its programs and people will pay attention. Remember to be your most persistent self and you might just get what you want.

10 Americanism Joanie Dickerson, Department Chairman Ph: The weather outside might or might not be frightful, depending on where you live, but as sure as winter turns into spring, election time is just around the corner. Because we have the right to vote for whom we choose in the election of those who will hold office in our representative form of government, it is our duty to use our right to vote as intelligently as possible. Take the time to find out about the candidates running for office. What are their views? Do they represent ideas you can support? The Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary will be held Tuesday, April 3, Voter Photo ID is now the law in Wisconsin. Starting this year, voters will be required to show a photo ID such as a driver license or state-issued ID in order to receive a ballot and vote. The purpose of photo ID is to verify the identity of the voter. Identification cards that will be accepted are: A Wisconsin DoT-issued driver license A Wisconsin DoT-issued identification card An identification card issued by a U.S. uniformed service A U.S. passport (Identifications above must be unexpired, or if expired, have expired after the date of the most recent general election.) A certificate of naturalization that was issued not earlier than two years before the date of an election at which it is presented An unexpired driving receipt issued by Wisconsin DoT. An unexpired identification card receipt issued by Wisconsin DoT. An identification card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin An unexpired identification card issued by a Wisconsin-accredited university or college that contains the following: -- Date of Issuance -- Signature of Student -- Expiration date not later than two years after Date of Issuance Now more than ever it is important for us to reach out to the members of our community and assist them in learning about the new voter ID requirements. For many of our young people, this will be the first election in which they are eligible to vote. Encourage them to take the time to vote. Provide them with information about where their local polling site is located as well as its hours of operation. (All state polling places are open from 7 am to 8 pm.) Guiding our newly-eligible voters will go a long way toward helping them establish a lifetime commitment to exercising their hard-won right to voice their preference for our elected officials.

11 Community Service Jean Anderson, Department Chairman Ph: Community service, for our veterans, active duty personnel and their families is an important program of the American Legion Auxiliary. We need to involve our communities with projects and fundraisers. This helps to promote community recognition of our great volunteer organization; with community involvement it enables us to raise more funds for our community service projects. If you have to pay for publicity in your newspaper, write a letter to the editor and make a statement there for no charge. Donations to veterans, active duty families, units, hospitals, schools and other organizations of books, magazines, DVD's/CD's are in keeping with our "Libraries of Love" theme. Maybe your unit has adopted a veteran or active duty family and has done special things for them throughout the year like getting them to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, or make backpacks for the kids. Be sure to record your hours, dollars spent, number of veterans, active duty personnel and the family members you help and include it in your unit reporting. If your unit has adopted a veteran or active duty family, please let us know things you've done for them over the year. Take pictures of your unit activities and forward them with your annual unit report. I encourage you also to send in your nominations for outstanding Junior and Senior volunteers. I look forward to reading about your community service projects or individual activities benefiting our veterans and active duty servicemen and their families. Thank you for volunteering your time to assist our veterans, active duty servicemen and their families.

12 Home Service Judy Kuta, Department Chairman Ph: Home Service gives members of the American Legion Auxiliary an opportunity to serve veterans residing in nursing homes, VA medical centers and even those still in their own homes as well as active duty military persons. ALA members make items in their own home for these veterans. Members may knit or crochet hats, gloves or mittens. Greeting cards could be made to let them know we appreciate their service and are thinking of them wherever they are. Meals could be made for a family of an active duty service person or for a veteran. Tray favors can be made for veterans in nursing homes or VA centers. There are so many areas we can participate in and use our talents for our veterans. This is the time of year to reflect back on all we ve done (in the previous year) for Home Service. Hopefully you have been recording your hours and money spent so you can fill out your individual Member Year-End Report. It is time to get this report to your Unit President so she can consolidate the numbers and get them to Department for your Unit s Annual Impact Report. If you have worked hard on many projects, or even on only one project, we want to know about it. Be proud. Report your hours. Use the Individual Tally Sheet each time you do a project. You will be able to account for all your time and will have an easy source to use for year-end reporting. If you get in the habit of doing this regularly you will thank yourself when it comes time to do your year-end reporting. Find other members that would also like to participate in Home Service. We are always happy to have new volunteers and perhaps you could find yourself having fun doing projects together. Non-affiliated persons can also participate in Home Service. If you have a friend or neighbor that would like to help you make something, encourage them to participate as well. You will want them to record their hours and money spent as well. They will not be able to get a Home Service pin, but their hours will count toward your Unit total. Remember, No money or hours shall count in the Home Service program if it involves members of the volunteer s own family. Have fun making a difference in the lives of our veterans and active duty members. You will be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and a good feeling about helping others.

13 Home Service Tally Sheet for Individual Volunteers Name: SR JR Non-Affiliated ALA ID# Date Service/Project (Use numbers listed below) Hours $ Value 1. Sewing 2. Knitting/Crocheting 3. Plastic Canvas/Tray Favors 4. Greeting Cards/Bookmarks 5. Cooking for a Veteran 6. Items for Hospital Gift Shop 7. Shopping for materials Totals: Hours Dollars RETURN FORM TO YOUR UNIT PRESIDENT

14 VETERANS AFFAIRS AND REHABILITATION Virginia Kodl, Department Chairman Phone: I need to express a thank you to all of you! Your support in helping our Veterans has been outstanding. Kathy Wollmer just received a thank you from Carolyn Morgan who is the Women Veteran Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs and this is what her message said; American Legion Auxiliary is truly making a difference in the lives of women veterans. We have been able to help many women veterans because of the monies that all of you continue sending in to Department for the Women Veterans Grant Fund. Please do not stop now!! Last month I asked if any of you are working with the County Veteran Service Officer and the Vet Center for your area to set up a Women to Women - Making Connections program in your county. Contact Kathy Wollmer if you have any questions as I am sure that she will be glad to offer assistance. At Fall Forum she had hoped that we would have this program activated in every County in Wisconsin. Let us make that happen if possible. The Finance Committee and Department President Joan approved the following gift to Camp American Legion. The total expenditures will be $69,000 and will be for the following items; boat ramp -$25,000, main lodge floor - $12,000, family cabin lake approach - $20,000 and solar-powered blinking pedestrian crossing road signs not to exceed $12,000. Camp American Legion will be hosting a week for Women Veterans and time for reuniting families that have soldiers returning from overseas. Please continue supporting this wonderful Camp as no other state has anything to compare to ours. Department President Joan will be sending $500 to each of the VA Facilities listed in the redbook. This is from the monies that you have contributed to the Libraries of Love fund. President Joan hopes to be able to give money for subscriptions to the Homeless Shelters later this year. I know that the scope of VA&R has changed quite dramatically this year. Our main emphasis is helping the veterans in our own communities. March has only one holiday and that is St. Patrick s Day but it is also the month where we Honor their service with honesty. By now you should know what the issues are in your communities and hopefully you will readily assist veterans in need it the areas you ve identified. I am sure you all have the tools to do your job. Maybe you need to get the word out with editorials in your local newspaper or work with your local radio program regarding issues that concern veterans. Have you been working with the community on your food pantry and fundraising events? Host a town hall meeting with your county Veterans Service Officer and maybe invite local government officials, county commissioners, state and federal legislators and the director of your state s Veterans Affairs Office. It s time to reach out legislatively also.

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16 Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary State Bowling Association, Inc. February 10, 2012 Dear ALA Bowling Members, Enclosed please find a few items for your review. First you will see a Do s and Don ts letter. PLEASE review this fully. There are many things that have made my job as a tournament manager a disaster and I am asking for your help again. Secondly, you have the rules of the WALASBA 9 pin tap tournament; nothing has changed as far as the rules, but again, please review and inform your team of these rules. Also, a friendly reminder, even though we are not a sanctioned tournament Bowling Etiquette is still a priority and a must to all bowlers involved. Please review bowling etiquette with your team mates. You will not receive a confirmation letter in the mail. Unless you hear from me, you will be scheduled for your team s first choice. We will be filling the first two weekends and using the last weekend as a last choice. I hope that you find this helpful. If you have any questions, please contact me at See you in Watertown in April. Sincerely, Anna Graham Tournament Manager

17 Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary State Bowling Association, Inc. Dear Bowling Captains and Unit Presidents: The following is a Do s and Don ts letter from the WALASBA Committee. This will help me personally when it comes time to fill out the bowling forms and searching for the person s name on our bowling cards. 1. Please NO nicknames. If the person s full name is Kristine but she goes by Kris or Krissy, please put the full name. 2. List Hyphenated Names. 3. If a bowler has had a name change (i.e., marriage or divorce), please list the old name in parenthesis ( ) and then the new name. It might be nice to even put a post it note or an additional letter in with the registration form to draw attention to the name change. 4. If the bowler is NOT a member of your unit, what unit is she a member of? Put that information in parenthesis ( ) after her name, or on a post it note or additional letter. 5. PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY. It is difficult at times to read other peoples hand writing so I am asking that you either print on the registration form or use a type writer, if possible. 6. If you have a bowler that was a Junior member and is now a Senior member, please make those notations in parenthesis behind the person s name. 7. Make sure that the Captain s address is as it appears on our AIM system. 8. If you or a member of your bowling team has turned that magical age of 70 since the last tournament or has never received your Grandma Pin, please find the Tournament Manager or Chairman at the time of Registration and let them know the person s information. 9. PLEASE remember that the bowling committee is NOT responsible for finding a sub for your bowling team. We are asking each team to send a list of anyone who is interested in filling in for the weekend that they are bowling, for subbing for another team. The Sub may be responsible for reimbursing the person that they are subbing for and should be discussed at the time of asking the sub to bowl. 10. Remember that this is a FUN event; however, Bowling etiquette should also be a priority when you are bowling next to someone. If you are unaware of bowling etiquette, please ask and anyone of our committee members would be happy to help you out. 11. One last reminder, if you are the team captain and you, your team or any of your bowlers is lucky and receives money from the WALASBA, please remember that the checks need to be disbursed and cashed in a timely manner so headquarters can complete their year end books. We had a problem with this in the past. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact myself, Gail Faust, or any of the Committee members and we will discuss them at our meetings. See you in April in Watertown. Sincerely, Anna Graham Tournament Manager

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19 WISCONSIN AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY STATE BOWLING ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT RULES READ CAREFULLY 1. All senior members of the Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary, holding 2012 membership cards are eligible to enter the tournament under the below rules. 2. The UNIT MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN or UNIT PRESIDENT must sign the entry blank, verifying membership. 3. Individual averages used to determine the handicaps shall be based on a composite average from the immediate past THREE (3) WALASBA tournaments. In the event a bowler enters the tournament and has no composite average, under the tournament rules, will be assigned an average of Entrants allowed bowling only once per event. 5. Everyone MUST bowl when scheduled. 6. Entries must be accompanied by full amount of fees. $16.00 per bowler, per event. The entry fees cannot be refunded after the entry and fees have been received. Hostess city entrants will be given dates and times requested; if possible, otherwise the tournament manager will assign dates and times. NO hostess city entries will be refunded. 7. No entries shall be accepted after the entry closing date. NO EXCEPTIONS 8. All events are optional and may be entered for a $2.00 fee. All paid events are not transferable unless the substitute replaces original entrant in all three events. 9. If a team has only 4 bowlers, only 4 scores can be used. NO blind score will be used. 10. This tournament will be conducted on a handicap basis of 75% of the difference between each entrant s average and 200 pins. 11. If a substitution is made in the doubles event the substitute must take the place of the bowler she is replacing. NO rearranging of partners will be permitted in the doubles. 12. A sub shall be allowed, if one is available, in case of disability after a game has started, in team and doubles only. Only the actual score of the frames bowled shall count if a sub is not available. 13. Bowlers entered in all three events will be so scheduled to permit them to complete competition within two days, unless they are doubled with someone who is bowling on another four-woman team at some other time, which prevents scheduling of these participants on same convenient dates. 14. Teams will bowl all three games on their scheduled pair of lanes. Doubles and Singles events the doubles will be bowled on the set of lanes assigned; for singles event you will move to the next assigned set for 3 games. 15. Every bowler entered in the individual events must have at least one ball for her personal use. No Sharing Balls with other bowlers. (House Balls are Acceptable.) 16. If a bowler is absent by the scheduled time and does not arrive by the end of the 4 th frame of the 1 st game, Absent Bowler shall forfeit the first game, but is eligible to bowl 2 nd and 3 rd game if arrival prior to the start of the 2 nd game. This is for Singles and Doubles ONLY. 17. Team Champion will receive a plague for the winning Unit. 18. First place in each event shall receive percentage of entry fees in cash. 19. NO SMOKING OR DRINKING WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE BOWLERS SEATING AREA. 20. Make sure you are watching for your turn to bowl and keep the games going. There are other shifts for Auxiliary bowling and possible league bowling scheduled after our tournament. CAPTAINS 1. Captains must check in and verify lineups sixty (60) minutes prior to starting time and present 2012 membership cards of ALL PARTICIPANTS. 2. When substitutes not registered on entry blank are used, captains shall report same to Tournament Manager before entering contest and present 2012 American Legion Auxiliary membership card of substitute. 3. There must be a TEAM CAPTAIN FOR EACH TEAM. CONDUCT OF ANNUAL TOURNAMENT This tournament shall be conducted as a form of social enjoyment for all Senior members of the Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary. The undersigned certified that the players whose names are shown on the entry form are bona fide members of the Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary to whom competition in the tournament must rest. ENTRY FORMS MAY BE PHOTOCOPIED BUT NOT REPRODUCED IN ANY OTHER WAY!

20 Holiday Inn Express is located across town from Watertown Bowl 18 (approximately a 5-minute drive). They have Double-Queen Bed rooms or Single-King Bed rooms at a discounted rate of $ Tax. They offer a Free Hot Buffet breakfast every day and also have an indoor pool, sauna, spa, and fitness room. All rooms have refrigerators. To make a reservation at the discounted rate: Call the hotel directly at (920) and mention the group name: ALA State Bowling Tournament, OR Call the National Toll-Free Reservations line at Holiday and mention the group name: ALA State Bowling Tournament, OR On the internet at For the 4/14-4/15 block, enter the 3 letter group code of ALA For the 4/20-4/21 block, enter the 3 letter group code of ALB Room blocks will be released 3 weeks before the date of the event. After that date, the rate will still be available but you risk the hotel being at full occupancy. Room block release date is 03/23/12 for the room block arrival 4/14/12 Room block release date is 03/30/12 for the room block arrival 4/20/12 Heritage Inn Hotel is located downtown, only a couple minutes from the bowling alley. By reserving a block now, we are receiving 2011 pricing. Below are the rooms available for those weekends and pricing information: 13 Deluxe rooms with 2 Double beds $ tax per night ($74.87): total 2 nights = $ (1-4 people) 3 King Suites $ Tax ($85.72): total 2 nights = $ (1-2 people) 1 Fireplace Suite with 2 Double Beds $ tax ($96.57): total 2 nights = $ (1-4 people) 1 Queen Suite $ tax ($96.57) total 2 nights = $ (1-2 people) 2 Whirlpool Suites w/ King bed $ tax (107.42): total 2 nights = $ (1-2 people) You must mention ALA State Bowling Tournament to receive discounted pricing. Rooms are released 30 days prior to the event and rates would then go to the current room rates. They offer AAA & AARP discounts as well. Holiday Inn Express Heritage Inn Hotel 101 Aviation Way 700 E. Main Street Watertown, WI Watertown, WI Ph: Ph:

21 Redbook Corrections Pg. 7 Add Maealine Bottoni (Columbia County President), 1019 Franklin St., Portage, WI Ph: maebottoni@gmail.com Pg. 14 USVA Medical Center Minneapolis, MN has changed its name to Minneapolis VA Health Care System Pg. 20 Kay Arndt s new address: arndt.katherine@yahoo.com Pg. 21 Jeannine Conradt s new address: jlconradt4678@hotmail.com Pg. 23 Anna Graham s new address: 41 Crescent St. #11, Mazomanie, WI Pg. 24 Penny Joren s new address 410 E Fulton #7, Waupaca, WI Pg. 24 Diane Kranig s new address: dianeqltr@hotmail.com Pg. 28 Judy Walters complete address is W3105 State Rd 37, Eau Claire, WI Corrections as of February 2, 2012 DATES & DEADLINES Last updated 2/10/12 (subject to change) EVENT LOCATION DATE TOMAH VA LOCAL CREATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL PERFORMING ARTS IN CHAPEL (9:00 am) 02/16/2012 MILWAUKEE COUNTY CONFERENCE OF UNITS- KLEMMER'S BANQUET CENTER 02/20/2012 GEORGE WASHINGTON LUNCHEON W. OKLAHOMA AVENUE, MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT ORATORICAL CONTEST RIPON COLLEGE 02/25/ TH DISTRICT AMERICANISM CJ s 02/25/2012 RECOGNITION BANQUET W13201 CORK STREET ROAD, RIPON WASHINGTON DC CONFERENCE WASHINGTON DC 02/25-29/2012 LEGION BIRTHDAY DINNER POST 209, ORFORDVILLE 03/17/2012 COMMANDER DENISE ROHAN S TBA 03/24/2012 TESTIMONIAL 7 TH DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE AL POST 172 (NORTH FREEDOM) 03/24/ th DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE GILL S SUPPER CLUB (WHITELAW) 03/31/ TH DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE MOOSE FAMILY CENTER (STEVENS POINT) 04/14/2012 WALASBA TOURNAMENT WATERTOWN, WI 04/14-15, RD DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE AL POST 433 (BARNEVELD) 04/21/ TH DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE LAKE STREET METHODIST CHURCH (EAU CLAIRE) 04/21/ TH DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE PINE TREE SUPPER CLUB (TOMAHAWK) 04/21/2012 WALASBA TOURNAMENT WATERTOWN 04/21-22, 2012 UNIT TH ANNIVERSARY THORP 04/22/2012 WI VETERANS HOME KING- MARDEN CENTER 04/25/2012 VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION LUNCHEON 1 ST DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE MUKWONAGO (ALA UNIT 375) 04/28/ nd DISTRICT SPRING CONFERENCE LOMIRA (AL POST 347) 04/28/2012

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