President’s Corner

Candace Berg - Department President-Electpresidentelect@ndala.org Photo courtesy: IceBerg Art

Candace Berg – Department President president@ndala.org
Photo courtesy: IceBerg Art, Candace Berg

“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to the community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” (Mitch Albom)

We recently finished our Winter Conference, and I am now eagerly looking forward to our upcoming Spring District Meetings across the state. I am anticipating continued involvement with our Auxiliary programs and all the related activities going on this time of year.

Thank you to all who braved the extremely cold temperatures to attend the 2026 Winter Conference in Mandan. It was a valuable opportunity for attendees to connect, learn, and be inspired. As your Department President, I was in awe many times over the weekend because of the enthusiasm, smiles, camaraderie, energy, and the helpfulness towards each other. It was a special weekend for me, as I led my first full conference. I hope those in attendance came away with valuable information, created great memories, and were inspired by meeting others face-to-face. I hope each of you left with a smile and a warm heart. Thank you to everyone who helped with the conference events in any way.

What is coming up next? We have big events and dates to consider as we are getting closer to the deadlines for our scholarships, the Americanism Essay Contest, Poppy Poster Contest, and more. Please share the scholarships and contests with junior members, your local schools, and others who may be interested. One of my goals this year is to put our program information in the spotlight and encourage more involvement and more applicants for scholarships and contests. These are opportunities to encourage our youth to join the American Legion Auxiliary and get involved.

I am looking forward to 2026 Spring District Meetings and traveling across the state to see you all. We had close to 140 in attendance at the Fall District Meetings and I hope to see that number double this spring. I am also looking forward to providing some fun and interactive activities at the spring meetings. In the meantime, be thinking about “What is your why?” in joining and remaining an Auxiliary member.

During our Winter Conference, revisions to our governing documents (Constitution and Bylaws and Standing Rules) were presented and discussed. Those documents are currently posted on the Department website at www.ndala.org/constitution-bylaws/ for your review. The committee will be taking comments until March 1st. Comments may be sent to Chairman Diane Kraemer at constitutionbylaws@ndala.org or by calling her at 701.741.5369. When the committee finalizes the comments and other edits, the documents will be mailed to unit presidents for review with unit members. The revisions will be voted on at the 2026 Department Convention in June.

My family is going to be putting on an American Legion Family Day in York on Saturday, April 25th, from 11AM-4 PM. We will be serving lunch and having activities for all ages. If you plan to attend and/or are interested in helping in any way with the event, please let me know.

Don’t forget to sign up for leadership training courses available on the National website at: www.legion-aux.org/ala-academy. Online ALA Academy training courses are free, self-paced, and take about an hour of your time per session.

Thank you to all who have donated toward my president’s projects – the Honor Flight Network for Eastern/Western North Dakota and the NDSU Bison Strides Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies Program for Veterans and their Families. Additional donations for my projects are always welcomed and can be sent to the Auxiliary Department Office at 1801 23rd Ave N, Fargo, ND 58102-1047.

Please share your “happenings” on our ND American Legion Auxiliary Facebook page. I love seeing the page becoming more active! The page is there for everyone to be uplifted and inspired by what others are doing across the state. Please share a few short sentences or an article, along with pictures to this site: www.facebook.com/ndamericanlegionauxiliary/

Our membership is growing! We are now at 76.97%. We have around twenty units that have reached 100% membership so far. Keep doing what you are doing to help with membership! There are three easy options for paying membership. You can send your payment to (1) your membership unit, (2) the Department Office, or (3) National Headquarters by paying online or by calling (317) 569-4570 where your continued membership becomes effective within minutes. Not sure where to start? Contact the Department Office at (701) 253-5992 or send an email to secretary@ndala.org.

I am so thankful for all of you and feel so blessed to be your Department President. I will try to do all I can to keep this organization going strong into the future. Remember…what you are doing for our veterans and their families DOES matter! Thank you for your continued loyalty and commitment! It is a great feeling being a part of our North Dakota American Legion Family. God bless you all!

Candace Berg, Department President

President Bio