Service Officers

Child Welfare is any activity or project that benefits children ONLY and is reported as such. Learn the needs of the children in your community and sponsor projects fitting those needs. Such projects will provide comfort, assistance and love to those children to make their lives worthwhile.

In addition, service performed for Junior AMVETS can be included.

John Tracy Center is our National Program that helps hearing impaired preschool children. April is John Tracy Center month, please consider holding projects throughout the year to support this amazing program. Website: https://www.jtc.org

We also assist AMVETS in their AADAA Program for K-12 students by addressing substance abuse in schools. We also assist with the AADAA poster contest. Website: https://amvets.org

For additional information: please refer to the 2nd Vice duties in the National Manual which has many examples of Child Welfare projects and suggestions.

“Our legacy of love is our gift to the children of our future” ~Harold W. Becker

Please contact me via email, text or phone if you have any questions.

Community Service is a program with projects benefiting adults only or adults and children within your community. As auxiliary members, you have a range of opportunities to engage in, contributing to the welfare of all. Your efforts help make the Auxiliary well known and acknowledged through these acts of kindness and outreach.
For more information, ideas, and projects, please refer to your National Manual, Section 8,
and visit the National Auxiliary websites at www.amvetsaux.org and Department site at
www.amvetsflaux.org.
Here are some wonderful organizations within our local community to partner with – -Paws with A Cause (PAWS) -Ronald McDonald House -Fisher House -Special Olympics is always in need of volunteers to help
Promote safety programs for Bicycle Safety, School Patrols.
Florida is in high demand for fundraising for local agencies with Hurricane and Tornado relief.
Help with the underprivileged families with food, clothing, home furnishing and even transportation.
Help the Elderly for their daily chores, transportation to appointments and stores.

AMERICANISM

Americanism is the loyalty and love to our Country. We are all somehow connected to

being loyal to our Country. I, myself, am a descendant of Deborah Sampson, a woman who disguised herself as a man and served in the Continental Army during the American

Revolutionary War. Deborah was in uniform for 17 months before she needed medical

treatment after having a fever and was discovered to be a woman. She was honorably

discharged at West Point by her Commander. Deboraah is often taught through our

education system in the 4th Grade; of which I’m honored to be an American and to be the

Americanism Chairperson. I’m also a Granddaughter of a WWII Veteran, and learned quite a bit from my grandfather, and am forever grateful.

It is my intention to teach our communities, mainly our younger generations, the importance of Patriotism, Americanism, and what the meaning of our Flag is. I hope you all will do the same, as in the following:

• Support Founding Forward

• Present Flag and Flag information to your local schools

• Distribute the Declaration of Independence and our Bill of Rights

• Sponsor AMVETS and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Americanism Poster & Essay contest

• Provide a scholarship to a teacher to attend the Summer Graduate Seminars at Founding Forward

• Send a ninth-grade student to AMVETS the Spirit of America Youth Leadership Program held at Founding Forward in Valley Forge in November

• Give support to CARE, Project Hope and UNICEF

• Assist any overseas services for non-military families, children and/or adults

• Sponsor “GET OUT AND VOTE” Campaigns

• Assist with new voter registration

• Sponsor and participate in a Patriotic/Local Parade

• Clean and/or decorate Veteran’s grave – teach the meaning of a penny, nickel, dime and quarter

• Coordinate a wreath laying at your local cemetery for anyone who was a Veteran

• Send daily items to our service Men and Women – dry goods, chapstick, toiletries

• Send a Thank You card for serving and protecting our Country and Our Freedom

• A letter to a Soldier means the world to them – have a letter or card writing event just letting a Soldier you are grateful

• LASTLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…FLY THE AMERICAN FLAG

As the Department of Florida Scholarship Officer, I am dedicated to providing you with the most up to date information for our Scholarship opportunities. To qualify you must be an AMVET or AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Member, a Son, Daughter or Grandchild of a member of AMVETS or AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary. Most of the Scholarships require the applicant to be a graduating High School Senior who has been accepted to an accredited College or University. However, there is also a Career Start Scholarship available for Ladies Auxiliary members who are working on advancing their career and have completed at least one
semester/quarter of study at an accredited technical school, business school, college, or university.

• AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Department of Florida (https://amvetsflaux.org) Applicant
  must be a member of AMVETS of AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, a
  Son/Daughter/Grandchild of a member AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, and applicant
  must be a graduating High School Senior accepted to an accredited College or
  University.
• AMVETS National Ladies Auxiliary (https://amvetsaux.org)

1. Career Start
2. College Support
3. Trade Scholarships Available.

• AMVETS Department of Florida (https://amvetsfl.org) Applicant must have direct
  association (Service or family member) with a family member of the Department of
  Florida AMVETS, Ladies Auxiliary (Son/Daughter/Grandchild). Applicants must have
  completed their freshman year in a Vocational School, Community College, and/or
  University.
• AMVETS National and Service Foundation (https://amvets.org) Scholarships for
  AMVETS (Veteran, Active Duty & Guard Reserve); Spouses of Veteran, (Active Duty & Guard Reserve; Children and Grandchildren.

1. The Joseph L Kee Jr. Service/Citizen Award
   a. This Scholarship was established to recognize students who can
   provide evidence of volunteer service to their community

The Definition of Hospital Program as used in the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Hospital Program: A hospital defined as: any institution providing health care services to the physically and mentally ill; this includes nursing homes and convalescent homes (when medically staffed).
The Hospital Program of AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary is diversified insofar as it is carried on in all types of hospitals and nursing care facilities but unified in its objective to bring cheer and diversion to the hospitalized veterans, dependents, and the community it serves. The bulk of volunteer service is given to Veterans Affairs Medical Centers across the country under the direction of our VAVS Representatives. There is also the AMVETS Because We Care Day, held on the 1st Wednesday in April in all VA medical centers.
We have Award programs such as St. Jude Research Hospital, which is a National Project, with November designated as the month for St. Jude fundraisers, but a fundraiser can be held anytime in the year. There is also the James Parke Scholarship presented by the National VAVS.
Information on these programs can be found on the National AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary website www.amvetsaux.org. We also have the following Department Awards, such as the Sherry Marecek Hospital Award and the PDP Delia J. Ray Memorial Hospital Award. Don’t be afraid to go for these awards. If you have questions, call me, or check out the Department website (https://amvetsflaux.org)