Orange Auxiliary member appointed to National Chairmanship
Published 10:46 am Saturday, July 30, 2016
- Patricia Kemp
Special to The Leader
Patricia Kemp of Orange, Texas, a member of Orange Auxiliary #2775, participated in the 103rd National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary held July 23-27 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C.
The convention marked the beginning of her 2016-2017 term as National Chairman for the 14 states in the Southern Conference on the Americanism/Patriotic Instructor Program.
A highlight of the convention was the announcement of the Outstanding Departments in the 11 Membership Groups at the National President’s Dinner on Sunday. Many guests visited the delegation on Wednesday, and Resolutions to the Bylaws were reviewed and voted on.
Other highlights included the opportunity for members to view all 48 entries of the Young American Creative Patriotic Art entries and the “Buddy”® Poppy displays, in addition to attending several joint events with the VFW, such as the Joint Opening Session and the Patriotic Celebration on Tuesday evening.
During the convention, National President Francisca Guilford commended the 2,000 attendees for all their hard work in honoring veterans and supporting deployed military personnel and their families. Members have spent millions of dollars and volunteer hours helping the heroes of our country.
The National President also thanked members for volunteering nearly one million hours in the nation’s hospitals, and donating $300,000 to VFW Veterans and Military Support Programs, which includes Operation UplinkTM to provide long-distance calling opportunities to deployed soldiers and hospitalized veterans.
President Guilford has also given funds to two major cancer research centers, including MD Anderson Cancer Center, as well as to the Veterans Voices Writing Project and many other worthy causes.
The election and installation of new National President Colette Bishop, a Life Member of Gustaf C. Lannoo Auxiliary #1303 in Rock Island, Ill., and the other 2016-2017 National Officers on Wednesday, July 27, concluded the convention and brought Guilford’s term to an end.
Learn more at www.vfwauxiliary.org or on Facebook: facebook.com/VFWAuxiliary
