President’s Corner
LoAnn Dick – Department President
Photo courtesty: IceBerg Art, Candace Berg
Hello Dear Ones,
Winter is upon us! I am so happy with the cold weather and the snow, though we have not had much yet! Many people tell me that I am the ONLY one in North Dakota who is excited and happy with our cold and snowy weather, and I hope that isn’t so, but if it is, so be it. I am blessed by it, and grateful for it! I hope you are too.
I am sure that you all had wonderful Veterans Day activities, services, celebrations, dinners, and the countless things you wonderfully creative leaders planned for the Veterans in your community. I was privileged to attend the Community Veterans Event in Scranton. They prepared turkey, dressing, and gravy sandwiches, and many bars and all the trimmings. It was wonderful!!! Great job, Terry and all the Scranton ladies! And then I was privileged to attend the Turkey Shoot Veterans and Community Event in Elgin with turkey and all the trimmings, plus games for all! It was so much fun! Great job, Holly, and all the Elgin ladies, and the Legion workers as well!
I trust you are working hard to get all your members renewed, ALL of them! We need every single member we can get renewed, and every new one we can sign up! We need them to help us get our Veterans bills passed through Congress, and we need them for all the wonderful things we do for our Veterans here at home! Every single member is massively important! If you have signed up everyone you did last year, keep on working until you get every single person on your list renewed. And if you lost some who dropped off last year or the year before, please go after them. Let them know how much you miss their friendship, their contribution to your Unit, and let them know how valuable they are, and how very much they mean to our Veterans we are supporting. Remind them of the Veterans they personally represent! Never let those Veterans go unremembered and unrepresented!
Keep up the great work as we all work together to keep our Veterans and their families in the forefront of the minds of our communities! We must never let them forget the sacrifices that were made for our freedom. So many gave so very much! And sadly, so many paid the ultimate sacrifice. It is our awesome responsibility to love them, remember them, honor them, and NEVER, EVER, EVER LET THEM BE FORGOTTEN!!!
Yours for our Veterans,
LoAnn Dick
Department President 2024-2025
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