President’s Corner
LoAnn Dick – Department President
Photo courtesty: IceBerg Art, Candace Berg
Hello North Dakota Auxiliary Members,
How glad I am to get to talk to you today! I so missed getting to be with you, to see you, to talk to you at Winter Conference! What a weird eventuality to have to cancel our meeting due to plumbing and heating at the hotel. However, God is in control. He will help us to recover our time together in other ways.
So, what is coming up that we need to work on? NUMBER ONE: Membership! We NEED to get our membership dues all paid! Membership is our lifeblood! Go after those members that you haven’t gotten renewed yet! Go after the hard ones to access, or hard ones to get to renew! We need them all! Their eligibility veteran still wants to know that they are part of the ALA. And if they have passed on, the remembrance of their service is still totally valuable to the veteran’s family, to the Unit, to the Department, to National, and to America. We must not forget them or let their service be forgotten.
Our Education Chairman, Peggy Moran, has sent out all the information on scholarships that are coming up in March and April.
The CHILD WELFARE FOUNDATION has been changed to the CHILD WELLBEING FOUNDATION by the American Legion because they believe the name is more suited to what they actually do for children.
April is CHILDREN AND YOUTH MONTH when we work to honor and bless the children and youth in our units and communities. April 15th is Purple Up Day to honor the children of our military families. So, wear purple that day as a remembrance and honor, and do creative activities with the children around you.
I talked with our Northwestern Division Chairman, Deb Albers, and she told me that in Nebraska they do March birthday parties to honor the veterans in the Legion because March is Legion Birthday month. They have parties involving the Legion and Auxiliary where they just have a fun time of food and fellowship to celebrate. Some of the older and maybe smaller units have Soup Dinner for the Veterans where the unit members prepare soup, crackers, and cookies which they deliver to the homes of the veterans, visit with them for a while, then go back to the unit and have soup and fellowship together before finishing the night. What a great set of ideas! Perhaps this is something we could do in our units in North Dakota! Great for our veterans!
Remember that it is always time to be remembering and recording the time and activities we do to honor our veterans, our youth, and our communities. It is SO VERY IMPORTANT! It is the time, donations, and activities that we do that cause Congress to listen to us when we ask them to do something for our veterans. So, please don’t devalue your service, your efforts, your hours, and your donations! They are VALUABLE AND CRUCIAL!
Well, my dear ones, I will see you at the Spring District Meetings that the Legion and the Auxiliary will be holding in the months of March and April! Please be sure to attend the one in your District! Then I will get to see you there!
I love you all,
LoAnn Dick
Department President 2024-2025
- December 2024 Unit Mailing
- November 2024 Unit Mailing
- Message – March 2025
- Message – December 2024
- Message – September 2024
Department President-Elect
Candace Berg – Department President-Elect
Photo courtesy: IceBerg Art, Candace Berg Membership
Candace joined the Auxiliary as a junior member under the eligibility of her father, Harland Berg, a Vietnam veteran. During her years as a junior member, Candace served as the trumpet player (bugler) for Memorial Day programs until graduating from high school.
Candace is active with the York unit as well as the Devils Lake Neathery-Simenson VFW Auxiliary, having served as a flag bearer, unit secretary, unit chaplain, and several chairmanships.
Candace is also involved with Ramsey County 4-H, serving as the treasurer and a 4-H leader. She emphasizes community service projects with her group that are veteran-focused, such as learning the meaning of the US flag, flag folding, honoring businesses and homes who display the US flag, putting together veteran food and supply packages, and helping with veteran and patriotic holiday services.
Candace currently lives and works in Devils Lake and is the proud parent of 3 children and a menagerie of pets. She is a licensed foster care parent, and in her spare time she enjoys volunteering at White Horse Hill National Game Preserve, sketching, photography, genealogy, watching hockey, exploring nature, and spending time with loved ones.
Candace’s focus this year is to embrace the programs of the American Legion Auxiliary and meeting as many veterans as possible.
(Department Staff Article)
Meet your Department Vice President
Sandy Smith – Department Vice President
Membership Co-chairman