District 1
Virginia Satrom-District 1 President district1@ndala.org
Happy New Year to our American Legion Family members across the state of North Dakota. It is impossible to imagine that we are already into our second month of 2024. This is a crucial reminder that we have some work ahead to make it the best year ever.
When things feel insurmountable, take a deep breath and think for a moment, “If you can’t fly, then run; If you can’t run, then walk; If you can’t walk, then crawl; but whatever you have to do keep moving forward.” A quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. Try to relate this to your work within your unit. Remember if you are working on something that you really care about, you do not have to push or be pushed.
My hope is that District 1 members will think back on why they became an Auxiliary member in the very beginning. Let us hope that vision never fades. Part of our mission is to provide to our youth both educational and leadership opportunities. These opportunities uphold the ideals of freedom and democracy and encourage good citizenship and patriotism for our country. Also, our mission is to support the lives of our veterans, the military, and their families both at home and abroad.
Which brings me back to work. We need to step up participation in District 1. Attendance at our District Meetings has been dismal and this shows a lack of interest, desire, and effort on the part of Auxiliary members. Never give up. Unit 210 of Galesburg struggled for several years to the point where I did not know if we would survive as a unit. Fortunately, we were blessed with several new members who have proven to be energetic, ambitious, and filled with ideas as well as the willingness to implement these ideas.
District 1 Vice President – Berniece Froiland
I am so proud of these members as they chose to donate $500 to each of the 3 local food pantries, another $500 to the ND/MN Veterans Honor Flight program, $500 to the gift shop programs for veterans at VA Medical Center in Fargo and residents at the North Dakota Veterans Home at Lisbon. This truly has been rewarding for us as a unit because we were never able to do this in the past.
I extend an invitation to anyone to visit one of our meetings to witness the enthusiasm. We meet the second Tuesday of each month April through December at 7:00 PM in the Galesburg Memorial Hall. You can find us stuffing pillows for veterans, planning our next fundraiser, working a Poppy Day project, or volunteering at a Memorial Day Program.
Wayne and I just returned to Arizona after attending the 2024 Winter Conference in Bismarck. We were a bit surprised that the weather seemed almost spring-like. Mark your calendars as a reminder to attend the 2024 District 1 Spring Meeting at the West Fargo VFW. More details and information can be found in another section of this publication.
Virginia Satrom
District 1 President
District 1 Units
- Buffalo Unit 10
- Casselton Unit 15
- Cooperstown Unit 143
- Erie Unit 223
- Fargo Unit 2
- Fingal Unit 187
- Finley Unit 13
- Galesburg Unit 210
- Hannaford Unit 113
- Harwood Unit 297
- Hatton Unit 70
- Hillsboro Unit 4
- Hope Unit 18
- Hunter Unit 44
- Sanborn Unit 202
- Valley City Unit 60