REMEMBER that CURRENT YEAR DUES (2025)
have to be paid before back dues.

Need to renew your Auxiliary membership?

Take care of your 2025 membership in three easy ways:
by phone, online, or mail.
Go to www.ALAforVeterans.org,
calling National HQ (317) 569-4570,
or mail in your renewal notice to your Unit.

The Latest Edition of the Empire State News is now available– click HERE! 

The 2025 Membership standings are updated as of 3/26/2025

CLICK HERE FOR EVERYTHING MEMBERSHIP

2025 Department of NY goal is 36,030. We have 463 Units as of 9/1/2024.

3/20/2025————————————————————————————————

3/11/2025————————————————————————————————

3/7/2025————————————————————————————————

As of 3/7/2025- We are out of Poppies for the 2024-2025 Administration. Please check back in the Fall ’25 if you wish to make an order.

3/5/2025————————————————————————————————

Kickoff April 1, 2025
Goal: $70,000
Last year, through your efforts and the generosity of so many, our 2024 Walkathon raised $66,481. All money raised was donated to the support of our Veterans throughout New York State.

This year, donations will go to our 13 VA Hospitals and 5 Nursing Facilities as well as our Department President’s Project “Homeward Bound Adirondack,” a facility of tranquility, comfort and assistance for our Veterans experiencing crisis in their lives.
Let us all work together this year to make our Walkathon the most successful ever!!!

How you can help:
-Organize a Walk
-Sponsor a Breakfast, Dinner, BBQ, Carnival
-Have a Raffle
-Write a donation letter, then mail or email, to your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, Unit, Squadron and Legion Members.

PROCEEDS: Awarded equally to support the following:

SAL: NYS VA Medical Center Homeless Programs & NYS Veterans Homes.

• Homeless Veterans are sometimes found living in wooded areas, in cars, under bridges. Some locations, such as abandoned buildings, can pose physical dangers for outreach staff and volunteers. Assisting homeless veterans to find suitable, permanent housing and the support services necessary to help them remain self-sufficient is a number one priority of the VA.
• There are 4 NYS Veteran Homes operated by the NYS Department of Health and 1 operated by the State University of New York. They are skilled Nursing Homes that provide quality care to all eligible veterans and their eligible dependents in need of skilled nursing care and rehabilitative services.

ALA: Homeward Bound Adirondacks (Department President Project):

• MISSION is to be a beacon of healing and resilience, restoring the strength and well-being of those who have sacrificed for our nation. Empowering Veterans in Northern New York to reclaim their lives and find hope beyond trauma. They provide comprehensive support services, including nature retreats, peer mentoring, crisis outreach, screenings and assessments, case management, suicide prevention, linkage and transportation, and referral services to help Veterans suffering from PTSD. Their mission is to be a beacon of healing and resilience, restoring the strength and well-being of those who have sacrificed for our nation.

No donation is too small and, keep in mind, those individual donations add up to more support for our Veterans. All donations should be submitted no later than July 1, 2025

All checks should be made payable to:
Detachment of New York with WALKATHON 2025 in the memo line.

Please mail all donations to:
Detachment of New York
c/o Walkathon 2025
1304 Park Blvd
Troy, New York 12180

Thank you for your support.
Detachment and Department Points of Contact for the Walk-A-Thon NYS:
Gaither Espy, Detachment Commander
Chris Cerullo, SAL Walkathon Chairman
Kim Quick, Department President
Marie SantaCroce, ALA Walkathon Chairman

1. “They Marched for Us, Let’s Walk for Them” 2025 Walk-A-Thon NYS Flyer
2. Boots Color Stars and Stripes PDF
   1. single flyer
   2. double flyer
   3. DOUBLE FLYER (UPDATED BOOTS)
3. 2025 Pledge/Collection Form
4. Sample letter

For more information visit the Dept. of NY SAL’s website or visit our Walk-a-Thon page.

2/28/2025————————————————————————————————

Please do not scan or take a picture of the blue paper and email/fax it to the Office for printing. Printing these scanned versions, even in black & white, uses an excessive amount of toner. Instead, please send the form back through the mail as originally intended.

For your convenience, you can also download the fillable version of the form from the Department website using the links below.

The 2026 Unit Data form for direct billing (otherwise known as the “Blue form”) is now available to download. It is due no later than May 1st to the Department Office. Click HERE to download. The actual blue form will be mailed next week to ALL Unit Presidents on file. (MAILED MARCH 6, 2025)

MAKE SURE YOU ARE WRITING YOUR UNIT AND COUNTY AT THE TOP OF THE FORM! DO NOT LEAVE THE DUES PORTION BLANK!!!

• 2026 UNIT DATA FORM FOR RENEWAL NOTICES FILLABLE PDF (BLUE FORM) UPDATED 2.28.2025
  1. 2026 Unit Data form (fillable form ONLY)
  2. Senior/Juniors dues rate chart (SAME AS LAST YEAR)

If you need to update your dues amount or the address/remit to person (where your members renewal notices are mailed) please update this form and return to the Dept. Office ASAP. No changes will be accepted by phone.  If you need to change the dues amounts after May 1^st, National HQ charges a $30 fee to update your new rates. 

If there are any updates to the remit to address/name above, you can resubmit this form no later than:
➢ July 20, 2025 for the September renewals.
➢ December 19, 2025 for the February renewals.
➢ Mail or email only--no changes will be made over the phone.

Be advised that the per capita sent into the Department Office will be the rate of $28 per senior member and $6.25 per junior member for the 2026 membership year. The total due on the form CANNOT be lower than those amounts per Senior or Junior member. Anything above the per capita will be the Unit portion to keep.

Here is the 2026 Senior/Juniors dues  rates* chart to help you fill out your form:

(THE DEPARTMENT/NATIONAL RATES ARE THE SAME AS 2025)

*Your 2026 Unit portion (Senior/Junior) can be higher than that shown on the chart. 

If there are any changes to your Unit roster (name or address changes), now is the time to make changes. Please send them into the Department Office no later than March 25^th. National will start printing the 2026 membership rosters and cards after April 1^st; anything submitted/processed after that date will not be reflected in the 2026 rosters or cards.

If you have any questions, please email nyalamemberdata@gmail.com

2/21/2025————————————————————————————————

The 104th American Legion Auxiliary Dept. of New York Convention will be held July 16 – July 19, 2025 in Syracuse, NY. You can make your hotel reservations now by clicking the links below. 

AUXILIARY HEADQUARTERS: 

Click the link below to visit the Syracuse Convention page: 

Visit the American Legion, Dept. of NY website for the other hotel options.

Department Convention

2/19/2025————————————————————————————————

The February 2025 Empire State News is now available to download by clicking the image below! Also available is a email blast from public relations chairman Julianne Barton! Please share this information with your fellow members.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PUBLIC RELATIONS EMAIL BLAST

If you wish to subscribe to our Dept. newsletter you can:

• Email nyalamemberdata@gmail.com to subscribe by email.
• Send a check for $15 to subscribe by print/mail. This will give you 4 newsletters.

The 2026 Unit Data form for Direct Billing (otherwise known as the blue form) will be posted as a fillable PDF by the end of the month. This will also be mailed to the current Unit President as well. More information will be posted with the form to help every Unit fill out their form correctly.  It is due back to the office-even if there are no changes– no later than MAY 1, 2025. Please keep an eye out for the form in the mail and on our website. Any questions, please email nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.

2/10/2025————————————————————————————————

• ALA Member Role with National Scholarships

DEPARTMENT SCHOLARSHIPS: 

SCHOLARSHIP COVER SHEET
SCHOLARSHIP COVER SHEET- Fillable PDF

1. Department Scholarship (Due March 1st) PDF Version

2. Department District Scholarship (Due March 1st) PDF Version

3. Raymond T. Wellington Jr. Memorial Scholarship (Due March 1st) PDF Version

4. MaryAnn K. Murtha Scholarship (Due March 1st) PDF Version

5. Helen Klimek Student Scholarship (Due March 1st) PDF Version

6. Past President’s Parley Scholarship (Due March 1st) PDF Version

7. The Cerullo Memorial Scholarship Fund (Due May 1st) PDF Version

No extensions will be made. Please direct any questions to nyalaeducation@gmail.com

All National Scholarships are filled out on form stack through the National website: 

• Children of Warriors National Presidents’ Scholarship
• Non-Traditional Student Scholarship
• Spirit of Youth Scholarship
• Member Loyalty Scholarship
• The American Legion Scholarships
• VAVS Scholarship

Please contact Education@ALAforVeterans.org with any questions for the National Scholarships. 

1/29/2025————————————————————————————————

This was copied from ALAMIS homepage (You must’ve paid ALAMIS access in order to see this):

**Please Note: Membership cards are owned by National HQ, if a member has paid their dues (to the Unit, Online or by Phone with National HQ) and requests a copy of their card, you are required to make it available to them.  Membership Cards are not the unit’s to hold on to. Membership Cards mailed by National HQ can take 4-6 weeks for the member to receive it, so if they request it from you, please make it available to them.**

---

January 31^st Membership Rollover: Members not renewed since 2022 will become former members. Members not renewed since 2023 will become expired members.

Please make sure you are filling out your transmittals correctly. You only need to write rejoin if the member hasn’t paid their dues in 3 years or more. IF they were paid for 2023 and/or 2024 and paying 2025- they are just a renewal.

At this time, 2025 has to be processed first. They must be paid for the current year BEFORE back dues can be processed. Make sure you are paying the correct amount as well. All of this is listed at the top of the transmittal form. 

• Juniors are $6.25 for 2025 and ALL prior years.
• Seniors:
  • 2025 and 2024 dues are $28 per year.
  • ALL other prior years are $20/year if processed by the Department office. 

Click the links below to download the transmittal of your choice: 

2024-2025 EXCEL TRANSMITTAL (please print in Portrait)

2024-2025 PDF TRANSMITTAL

2024-2025 WORD TRANSMITTAL

1/24/2025————————————————————————————————

Congratulations to our newly elected Honorary Junior Department Officers! They were just installed by our Department President Kimberly Quick!

2025-2026 Honorary Junior Officers for the Dept. of NY

1/8/2025————————————————————————————————

Any Senior who was not paid into the National system (ALAMIS) by midnight January 2nd, will get 2nd renewal notice. They will be mailed around February 1st from National. Due to the Holidays, any membership received in the office after December 20th- was not processed in time for the cutoff date. Remember- Units shouldn’t be solely relying on the National renewal notices. 

2025 Dues MUST be paid before back dues or your Unit will be billed a processing fee to reapply them. 

Member Dues are based on a members age on January 1st of the Membership year. (Example- A member that is 17 on January 1, 2025 will be billed as a junior member for 2025)

Last day to make changes to member info for the 2026 printed rosters & membership cards is April 1st. 

12/23/2024————————————————————————————————

12/20/2024————————————————————————————————

Upcoming Membership deadlines:

• January 3^rd: All senior members not renewed in ALA MIS for 2025 will receive a 2^nd mailed renewal notice scheduled to be mailed February 1, 2025. Remember Junior members do not receive renewal notices. Units need to send their own notices out.
• 2^nd PUFL Distribution will be processed in January with distribution of monies to be sent late January/early February. This will include payments for any PUFL members who became a PUFL after September 1, 2024 and was not paid yet for the 2025 membership year.
• January 31^st Membership Rollover: Members not renewed since 2022 will become former members. Members not renewed since 2023 will become expired members.
  • Please keep this in mind when filling out a transmittal. When you don’t write that a member hasn’t paid their dues in the past two- three years- it slows us down processing your membership.
• As of February 1^st, 2025 dues must be paid before 2024 or prior back dues can be paid. This ensures that the members remain current.
• Any new or renewal applications for ALAMIS access received after January 3rd will be held until National finalizes the Department ALAMIS invoice.  Last year it was the beginning of February. Remember your 2025 dues must be paid before requesting ALAMIS access. 

12/4/2024————————————————————————————————

This year’s Mid-Winter Leadership Conference will allow you to personalize your learning, build upon your experiences and knowledge, and allow you opportunities to learn from others! It will be held at the Albany Marriott, 189 Wolf Road, Albany, New York 12205. Rooms will be $116.00 per night (single, double, triple, or quad). Please call the hotel reservation number at 518-458-8444 to make your reservations or visit our website deptny.org-under events>mid-winter; for the direct link to make a reservation. As always, you will need to present your tax-exempt form ST-119.5 completely filled out and signed with an original signature at the time of check in. Deadline for hotel reservations is January 8, 2025. 

For more information- please click here or the banner above.

11/27/2024————————————————————————————————

The November/December 2024 Empire State News is now available to download by clicking the image below!

Our Mid-Winter Conference will be held on January 17-18, 2025 at the Albany Marriott on Wolf Rd.

The conference call will be uploaded to the website in the next week. In the meantime you can make your hotel reservations by clicking the link below:

Book your group rate for American Legion Auxiliary Mid Winter Conference

11/1/2024————————————————————————————————

If you wish to sign up for 2025 ALA MIS access, now is the time! Anyone added after today, will have access for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025. If you have current access, you received an email from Caitlin to renew your access. 

Your 2025 membership dues must be paid before granting you 2025 ALAMIS access. Units can have up to 2 logins at a time.  Units can have a combination of access levels. We do not recommend more than one Full user per Unit. A breakdown of each level of access can be found on the second page of the form.

The 2025 rates are:

UNIT FULL- $20.00 

UNIT WRITE- $15.00 

UNIT READ- $10.00 

Click here to download the 2025 form

10/18/2024————————————————————————————————

Department President Bulletin 10.18.2024

10/16/2024————————————————————————————————

When submitting an application, please remember the Veteran, if living, needs to be a current member of the American Legion with a 9-digit ID#. Please do not submit the application if they are joining at the same time. Wait until they are given an official ID# from their Post. 

10/9/2024——————————————————————————————————

Friendly reminder, when sending in membership at this time of year- please remember the following:

• You must submit a transmittal that is:
  • In alphabetical order. The name must be as written on the roster- no nicknames. 
  • 55 seniors or less. The Department cannot exceed $1,000 in a single transaction. If there are 55 seniors it’s a total of $990.00 (55 x $18). This is also the reason why our transmittals only go up to 55.
  • One check per transmittal- please do not submit multiple checks for one transmittal. Make sure you check is filled out correct and signed.
  • ID#’s are required
  • Only write “rejoin” for those member who have not paid their dues in 3 or more years. Otherwise they are just a renewal for 2025. If they haven’t paid in 2 years, they’re an expired member. 
  • Make sure you are using the transmittals that have the 2024-2025 year at the top of the paper. Older transmittals are causing chairman to submit the incorrect payment. The 2024 or 2025 dues year are $28 per senior member. 2023 and prior is $20 per senior. ALL junior dues are $6.25. If you are wishing to pay back dues, just write the year you wish to pay in the prior dues column. No need to send a separate transmittal to pay back dues. 2025 and 2024 has to be paid first at this time of year before we are able to process 2023 and prior back dues.
  • Do not put data changes within the names you have listed on your transmittal. If you must, please skip a few lines, or write it on the back. 
• Make sure your applications are completed:
  • The applicants information is legible.
    • It should be a complete address with a legible zip code. Do not abbreviate the Town/City- We should not have to look up the address in order to enter it into the system.
  • If the member is under 17, we need a correct date of birth. As long as they will be 17 on January 1st, they will be a Junior member for 2025 dues. If no date of birth is listed, they will go in as a senior member. 
  • If the Veteran is deceased, please mark the deceased box. 
  • ONLY list ONE Veterans name.
  • If the Veteran is living, they must be a CURRENT paid member of the American Legion. We need the following information:
    • Post number, City, and State.
    • Their Legion 9-digit number. Please do not submit the application until the Veteran is given an official ID# by the Legion. 
  • FOR ALL VETERANS- WE NEED:
    • When they served.
    • What the applicants relationship to the Veteran is. If they do not fit one of the boxes provided, please do not send it in anyway. We cannot process it if they are not eligible. DO NOT USE OLD APPLICATIONS PRIOR TO OCTOBER 2019.
  • The Post Adjutant or Post Officer has reviewed the Veterans paperwork and has signed off on the application. The Auxiliary can only sign off on a Female Veterans ALA application. REMEMBER- the rest of the application should be complete before giving it to the Post before they sign off on it. 

Membership is heavy for the next month, please give us time to process all 463 Units membership in a timely manner. If you put it in the mail on a Thursday, please do not call on a Monday expecting your new member ID#’s. Chances are we only received it in the mail on Monday. Please put a note in with your applications for us to email you the ID#’s once processed. If you have multiple questions, please send an email. 

Here are all the forms you will need to have a successful membership year:

Click the links below to download the transmittal of your choice: 

2024-2025 EXCEL TRANSMITTAL (please print in Portrait)

2024-2025 PDF TRANSMITTAL

2024-2025 WORD TRANSMITTAL

Membership Data Form PDF

1. 1. This form is used for:
      1. Member data changes.
         1. Name changes.
         2. Updating addresses.
         3. Adding contact information.
      2. Marking members deceased.
      3. Transferring members.
      4. Updating members continuous years

• Application Forms – Membership

  • ALA Membership Application Form
  • ALA Membership Application – Spanish
  • Paid Up for Life (PUFL) Application
  • Download PUFL Rate Chart for dues above $60.00 annually 
  • The American Legion Family Membership Application Form
  • TAL Family Membership Applications (Color & B&W) versions

9/23/2024——————————————————————————————————

The September 2024 Empire State News is now available to download by clicking the image below!

9/23/2024——————————————————————————————————

Below is a listing all units. If we received the unit officer form for 2024-2025 it is marked as received. If it is highlighted in Yellow, we do not have the unit officer form*. They were mailed to all 2023-2024 Unit Presidents in with the Convention call and were due no later than July 1st.

*If you previously sent it by email, please forward your original email.

Unit Officer Form 2024-2025 units received and not received 9.23.2024

Click the link below to download a fillable Unit Officer form.

2024-2025 UNIT Officer FORM (fillable)

9/13/2024——————————————————————————————————

9/11/2024——————————————————————————————————

9/9/2024——————————————————————————————————

9/9/2024- All committees have been updated. The 2024-2025 Unit and Committee forms are also now available to be downloaded as a fillable PDF.

Since there is no Fall Conference tour this year, our Department Officers have made videos for our members to watch at their convenience! Click HERE to watch videos from Department President Kimberly Quick, 1st Vice- Maureen Morgan, 2nd Vice- Lora Rowe and 3rd Vice- Yvonne Brunner. 

The Department Officers have now started their County Visitations. If you wish to follow Department President Kimberly Quick, please follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alanyDeptNYPresident. Click here to download the 2024-2025 Department Officers Visitation Schedule*

9/6/2024——————————————————————————————————

The 2024-2025 Plan of Action is available to be downloaded in it’s entirety by clicking the photo below. I am still breaking down the POA by committee and making all the forms fillable PDF’s.*Now available AS OF 9/9/2024

If you wish to order an extra plan of action, please contact Dept. Secretary Barbara Corker by email- nyalasecretary@gmail.com. The POA will be $25.

Click here to download the order form.

If you have any questions, please email Caitlin at nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.

We will be resuming membership updates on Wednesday, September 11th. I hope to have all the membership that has been mailed in thru today processed by Tuesday.

9/3/2024——————————————————————————————————

————-ATTENTION————-

Starting Wednesday, September 4th at 10am EDT ALAMIS will be down for maintenance. National hopes to be back up and running by 12pm EDT on Thursday, September 5th. This Maintenance will also affect the my auxiliary Member Portal.

During this time, the Department office will be unable to pull up anything on ALAMIS until it comes back up. Please send an email to either Barbara or Caitlin, and we will answer your questions as soon as possible.

The Dept. Membership reports will be posted on Friday, September 6th.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

***************

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The Plan of Action is currently being broken down by each program. Each Unit and County form will be turned into a fillable PDF available to be downloaded for your convenience.

If you wish to order an extra plan of action, please contact Dept. Secretary Barbara Corker by email- nyalasecretary@gmail.com. The POA will be $25.

Click here to download the order form below.

8/16/2024——————————————————————————————————

The 2024-2025 Plan of Action will be sent to District Presidents to be distributed in September. The Plan of Action will be uploaded as soon as we receive our digital copy from the printer.  Each committee will then be broken down and will be available to download as well. All forms will then converted into fillable PDF’s for your convenience. All should be available by the end of September.

If you wish to order an extra plan of action, please contact Dept. Secretary Barbara Corker by email– nyalasecretary@gmail.com. The POA will be $25.

Click here to download the order form below.

Below are the 2024-2025 County Officer form as a fillable PDF and the County Committee lists as an excel file. Each form was in with the 2024 Convention Call mailed to the 2023-2024 County President in May 2024. Both are now past due.

1. 2024-2025 COUNTY OFFICER FORM (fillable)
2. 2024-2025 County Committee List (Excel) Same as last year

Here is the complete list of the Counties of who we received* or who still owes their officer form and/or their committee list.

*If you had sent your County Officer form and/or committee list by email, please forward the original email to Caitlin at nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.

The list of the Units still missing their Unit officer form will be listed in the upcoming weeks. Below is the link to download the Unit form.

1. 2024-2025 UNIT OFFICER FORM (fillable)  

8/7/2024——————————————————————————————————

Any membership that has been sent into the Department Office in the past few weeks, will be processed by next week. Please remember we have other priorities to finalize that have a deadline that needs to be completed first. We are trying our best to catch up as soon as possible.

Please be patient with us as we are with you.

8/1/2024——————————————————————————————————

Below are the 2025 Department of New York Goals. The Department goal is 36,030. Goals are based on what was paid as of close of books and what was paid by July 31st. If you have any questions, please email Caitlin at nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 2025 MEMBERSHIP GOALS as of 8/1/2024*

*SUBJECT TO CHANGE

New York 2025 FINAL 8.1.2024

7/29/2024——————————————————————————————————

The 2024-2025 Department President Kimberly Quick’s Project is

Homeward Bound Adirondacks 

For More information click HERE!

For those unable to attend the Department Convention, here is the links to download the 2024-2025 Book of Reports and the Department Chaplains Memorial Service Booklet.

Click HERE to download the 2023-2024 Book of Reports

20240726174409468

Click HERE to download the Memorial Service Booklet

20240726174353128

Below are the Close of books standings as of 6/17/2024 for Department Awards. If a Unit or County reached 100% goal or more, their 100% ribbon was placed in their membership packet given out at Department Convention.

2024 CLOSE OF BOOKS- 100_ UNITS 6.17.2024 2024 CLOSE OF BOOKS- 100_ COUNTY 6.17.2024 2024 CLOSE OF BOOKS- UNITS 6.17.2024

Below is the 2024 membership standings as of today, 7/29/2024. 

The 2024-2025 Membership Goal will be available by the end of the week.

Membership cards were distributed at Department Convention in Niagara Falls, NY. If no one was there from your Unit, it was given to your County. If no one was there from your County, please contact your new District President.

Remember National printed the membership cards as of April 1, 2024. Any updates, transfers or new members added after that date WILL NOT be reflected on your printed membership rosters or printed 2025 cards. Please email the Department office @ nyalamemberdata@gmail.com for an updated roster or to verify if your changes were made.

If you have any questions, please email Caitlin at nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.

7/26/2024——————————————————————————————————

Reminder: when sending in membership to be processed (applications and transfers), you must also submit a transmittal. Do not just send in a check and either a transfer form and/or application(s).

Starting August 1st, any membership trying to be processed without a transmittal will be returned with a blank transmittal to the return address on the envelope in which it was mailed. This also includes applications that are being resubmitted after being returned to the Unit for whatever reason. 

Too many Units are skipping the step of filling out a transmittal when processing their Units membership. In the past three weeks membership that was submitted, I have had to fill out multiple transmittals for Units that skipped this crucial step.

Also, the letter below was in with every Units membership cards and rosters. Please make sure you are passing this onto the Unit membership chairman.

2024-2025 Membership

For more information, please visit: https://thewallthathealsyatescounty.com/

6/18/2024——————————————————————————————————

Close of books was yesterday, June 17, 2024. There will no updates to the Membership reports until AFTER Department Convention. The Unit Paid Membership report has been updated so every Unit can figure out their delegate strength for Department Convention.

REMINDER- we are still processing dues for the 2024 year. DO NOT HOLD it until September!!

Any questions- please email Caitlin at nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.

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6/17/2024——————————————————————————————————

From Debbie Morris, Eastern Division Junior Activities:

TO: Eastern Division Dept. American Legion Auxiliary.

I’m asking the Units in each Dept. to pay your minimum per Junior, this is a good investment in our ALA’s future. Please read message below. Let’s not forget our future leaders.

6/13/2024——————————————————————————————————

The membership reports are now available. Sorry for any inconvenience this caused.

This will be the last time the 2024 Numeric, County, and District Objective will be updated until AFTER Department Convention. The Unit Paid Membership report will be updated next Wednesday so every Unit can figure out their delegates for Department Convention.

A friendly reminder- we will still be processing membership all summer long. Do not hold membership until the Fall.  National will be opening up the 2025 dues the end of the month. Only renewals will be accepted until September 1st. No new members or rejoins will be accepted. If they are received before September 1st, they will be going in for the 2024 dues and will automatically owe for 2025 dues. Anyone not paid for 2025 dues by August 1st, will receive the first printed notice from National in the mail Mid-September. 

New transmittals for the 2024-2025 year will be posted in the next few weeks. 

2025 Unit membership cards and roster will be distributed at Department Convention in Niagara Falls, NY. If no one is there to represent your Unit, they will be given to your County or District. 

If you have any questions, please email Caitlin at nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.

6/5/2024——————————————————————————————————

Department close of books will be on June 17th this year. Everything must be received by the 13th in the office for it to be processed and counted. 

National close of books will be 30 Days Prior to National Convention, July 24, 2024. 

5/29/2024——————————————————————————————————

Congratulations to the National Scholarship winners! From the Department of NY the following was selected:

• Spirit of Youth: Cristina Caputi from Unit 304, Nassau County
• Junior Member Loyalty: MacKenzie McDaniels from Unit 440, Steuben County. 

Congratulations to our Department Scholarship Winners!

All winner will be notified by mail as well as the Unit Presidents on file.

If you haven’t already mailed in your WALK-A-THON donations, you may still contribute by mailing a check, payable to the Detachment of New York, with Walk-A-Thon in the memo line to:

5/17/2024——————————————————————————————————

The 2025 Unit Dues Rates are now locked. If any changes need to be made to the dues rates- you will be charged $30. 

If you need to change your dues rate, please resubmit the 2025 Unit Data form. You can click HERE to download a fillable PDF to return to the Department Office or to save and email to nyalamemberdata@gmail.com.  No changes will be accepted by phone.  

 **If there are any updates to the remit to address/name above, you can resubmit this form no later than the dates below for the printed renewals:

• July 22, 2024 for the September renewals.
• December 20, 2024 for the February renewals.

PDF-2025-UNIT-DATA-FORM-FOR-RENEWAL-NOTICES_Fillable

5/15/2024——————————————————————————————————

As of yesterday, all the rooms at the Hyatt Place which is the ALA Headquarters are sold out. All the other hotels are still available. All the hotels are within walking distance of the convention center. You can book at the Sheridan which is directly across the street from the convention center, the SAL headquarters which is two blocks from the convention center or the Casino which is down the block from the convention center.

Please do not wait to book your room as Niagara Falls is a popular destination for the summer.
Unfortunately I have no control over the situation.

Please share this information with your unit members.

Below are the 2024-2025 Unit and County Officer forms as a fillable PDF and the County Committee lists as an excel file. Each form was in with the 2024 Convention Call mailed to the Unit or County President in the past week. 

1. 2024-2025 UNIT FORM (fillable) -Replacing Unit “white card”
2. 2024-2025 COUNTY FORM (fillable)Replacing County “white card”
3. 2024-2025 County Committee List (Excel) Same as last year

**If you have a change to your remit to person or address (where your members renewal notices are mailed) – please update the 2025 UNIT data form. This will be the only way to update this information.

• 2025 Unit Data form (fillable)

 No changes will be accepted by phone.  If you need to change the dues amounts after May 1^st, National HQ charges a $30 fee to update your new rates. 

 **If there are any updates to the remit to address/name above, you can resubmit this form no later than the dates below for the printed renewals:

• July 22, 2024 for the September renewals.
• December 20, 2024 for the February renewals.

If you haven’t already mailed in your WALK-A-THON donations, you may still contribute by mailing a check, payable to the Detachment of New York, with Walk-A-Thon in the memo line to:

Click here to download double flyer.

<strong>2024 Walk-A-Thon</strong>

5/14/2024——————————————————————————————————

The Wall That Heals Yates County Flyer 1

5/9/2024——————————————————————————————————

The 2024 Department Convention call is now available to download in it’s entirety. Otherwise you can click the links below to download the fillable forms, and the four proposed amendments to the Department Constitution and Bylaws below.

• 2024 Convention Call (UNIT)
• 2024 Convention Call (County)
  • Will be MAILED MAY, 2024 TO UNIT AND COUNTY PRESIDENTS.
• County Registration Form**
• Unit Registration Form**
• State Dinner Reservation Form**
• Proposed amendments to the Department Constitution and Bylaws
  • Proposal #1: Department Bylaws, Article IV COMMITTEES, Section 1
  • Proposal #2: Department Constitution, Article V DEPARTMENT OFFICERS, Section 3
  • Proposal #3: Department Bylaws, Article VI REPRESENTATION AT THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION LEVEL, Sections 1 and 2
  • Proposal #4: Department Bylaws, Article X DISCIPLINE OF UNITS, Section 6

For more information click HERE.

5/1/2024——————————————————————————————————

As of today 118 Units still owe their 2025 Unit data form for direct billing (Blue form). It was due TODAY to the Department Office.

Click HERE to download the 2025 Unit Data form. This form was mailed to every Unit President listed in the National system February 2024. Below is a complete list:

2025 UNIT DATA FORM Check list AS OF 5.1.2024 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LIST AS OF 5/1/2024.

Please make sure you are filling out the form with the correct information. Here are some issues we have found with the forms that have been mailed in:

• Not writing the Unit and County at the top of the form.
• DO NOT LEAVE THE DUES PORTION BLANK! This will result in your Unit not receiving the correct amount from your members.
• Make sure you are using the chart to fill in your dues rates. (EXAMPLE_ 6.25 + 6.25 doesn’t equal $6.25)
  • Click here to download the chart.
• The address section is for who will be receiving the members dues in the mail. If the wrong name/address is written- this will result in the renewal notices to be sent to the incorrect person and/or address.

Be advised that the per capita sent into the Department Office will be the rate of $28 per senior member and $6.25 per junior member for the 2025 membership year. The total due on the form CANNOT be lower than those amounts per Senior or Junior member. Anything above the per capita will be the Unit portion to keep.

Here is the 2025 Senior/Juniors dues  rates* chart to help you fill out your form:

*Your 2025 Unit portion (Senior/Junior) can be higher than that shown on the chart. 

 If you need to change the dues amounts after May 1^st, National HQ charges a $30 fee to update your new rates. If they need to reprint renewal notices, they are $1 per member. 

**If there are any updates to the remit to address/name above, you can resubmit this form no later than:

• July 22, 2024 for the September renewals.
• December 20, 2024 for the February renewals.

Please submit any changes in writing, via mail or email.  We will not be taking any changes over the phone.

This will be the ONLY way to update your 2025 dues rates and remit to address.

Click HERE to download just the form.

• Letter mailed to Unit Presidents February 2024 (Updated version)
• 2025 Unit Data form (fillable)
• 2025 Senior/Juniors dues rate chart

If you have any questions, please email nyalamemberdata@gmail.com

4/22/2024——————————————————————————————————

The April 2024 Department Newsletter is now available to be download by clicking here or the image below!

If you wish to subscribe to our Dept. newsletter you can:

• Email nyalamemberdata@gmail.com to subscribe by email.
• Send a check for $15 to subscribe by print/mail. This will give you 4 newsletters.

4/12/2024——————————————————————————————————

As of today only 196 out of 469 Units have sent in their 2025 Unit data form for direct billing (Blue form). It is due no later than May 1st to the Department Office. Click HERE to download the 2025 Unit Data form. This form was mailed to every Unit President listed in the National system February 2024. Below is a complete list:

UPDATED ABOVE- 5/2/24

Please make sure you are filling out the form with the correct information. Here are some issues we have found with the forms that have been mailed in:

• Not writing the Unit and County at the top of the form.
• DO NOT LEAVE THE DUES PORTION BLANK! This will result in your Unit not receiving the correct amount from your members.
• Make sure you are using the chart to fill in your dues rates. (EXAMPLE_ 6.25 + 6.25 doesn’t equal $6.25)
  • Click here to download the chart.
• The address section is for who will be receiving the members dues in the mail. If the wrong name/address is written- this will result in the renewal notices to be sent to the incorrect person and/or address.

Be advised that the per capita sent into the Department Office will be the rate of $28 per senior member and $6.25 per junior member for the 2025 membership year. The total due on the form CANNOT be lower than those amounts per Senior or Junior member. Anything above the per capita will be the Unit portion to keep.

Here is the 2025 Senior/Juniors dues  rates* chart to help you fill out your form:

*Your 2025 Unit portion (Senior/Junior) can be higher than that shown on the chart. 

 If you need to change the dues amounts after May 1^st, National HQ charges a $30 fee to update your new rates. If they need to reprint renewal notices, they are $1 per member. 

**If there are any updates to the remit to address/name above, you can resubmit this form no later than:

• July 22, 2024 for the September renewals.
• December 20, 2024 for the February renewals.

Please submit any changes in writing, via mail or email.  We will not be taking any changes over the phone.

This will be the ONLY way to update your 2025 dues rates and remit to address.

Click HERE to download just the form.

• Letter mailed to Unit Presidents February 2024 (Updated version)
• 2025 Unit Data form (fillable)
• 2025 Senior/Juniors dues rate chart

If you have any questions, please email nyalamemberdata@gmail.com

4/10/2024——————————————————————————————————

National HQ sent a 2024 renewal email to any senior member not yet renewed for 2024 with an email address on file 4/9/2024. 

They will also be sending a renewal email to expired senior members with an email address on file next week on Tuesday, April 16^th. An expired member is any member not paid for 2023 and 2024, as National already rolled over for the 2025 membership year. 

REMEMBER– When processing dues you must pay 2024 dues before you can process the 2023 dues and/or prior years. If you send dues in for 2023 and prior without also sending in for 2024 dues- you will be receiving a credit in the mail. 

It is that time of year to submit your Department award entries to the Department Chairman. All awards are listed under each committee in the Plan of Action. Click here to download the Plan of Action for 2023-2024! Make sure you attach a cover sheet to each entry!  The award certificate will be prepared using the information you include on your cover sheet. Please print clearly all the information requested.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN BY MAY 1ST.

The following information is from the April 2024 eNews. Click here to read the entire enews!

April: Month of the Military Child and Purple Up! Day

Military children face unique challenges and make sacrifices. To recognize this, April is designated as the Month of the Military Child (#MOMC). 

Purple Up! Day — April 15 — is part of the month-long celebration. To show support for military children and raise awareness about their sacrifices, people wear purple on this special day. Purple symbolizes a combination of the colors of each branch of the U.S. military: Army green, Navy blue, Air Force blue, Marine red, and Coast Guard blue. 

As a major supporter and advocate for veterans, the military, and their families for more than a century, the American Legion Auxiliary appreciates and celebrates these children who give up so much as their service member parents work to protect and defend America, its people, and its principles. Thousands of ALA members and other members of The American Legion Family participate in Purple Up! Day.

New webinar offering: National Poppy Day® in your community

The Friday before Memorial Day is National Poppy Day (May 24 this year). All American Legion Family members are encouraged to participate in activities in their communities.

The poppy was adopted as our memorial flower in the early 1920s, and the tradition of distributing red crepe paper poppies in exchange for donations continues.

Join us in this webinar to get ideas on how you can organize local National Poppy Day events and activities.

You will learn:

• History and purpose of National Poppy Day
• Ideas for activities and events
• How to publicize National Poppy Day locally

Reserve your spot for this webinar on April 18 at noon ET.

Did you know ALA Academy Live webinars are recorded and available online? Here is how you can access past webinars:

1. Go to the ALA Academy. *Note: You will need to log in to the website using your ALA member username and password.
2. Select “Launch Academy.”
3. A new tab/window will launch. If you don’t have a username for the ALA Academy, you will need to create one.
4. Select the webinar you want to watch and happy learning!

April – Month of the Military Child

April 9 – National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day

April 15 – Purple Up! Day for Military Children

April 18 – ALA Academy Live Lunch & Learn: Celebrating National Poppy Day in Your Communities

April 21-27 – National Volunteer Week

April 22 – Earth Day

April 27 – American Legion Family Day

April 30 – National Military Brats Day

May – Military Appreciation Month

Legion Family Day is April 27

The American Legion Family is encouraged to host events at their post homes every year on the last Saturday of April. It serves as an opportunity to open the doors to members of the community to learn more about our mission and who we are. This is also a great opportunity to bring awareness to the Be the One mission to reduce the rate of veteran suicide.

This day was created through Resolution No. 7 accepted at the 2022 American Legion National Convention.

New Be the One resources for members

The American Legion is aiming to reduce the rate of veteran suicide through its Be the One mission, as well as build more awareness about the issue and identify solutions to help a veteran in crisis.

The American Legion’s newly updated Be the One website is full of information to help Legion Family and community members take part in this mission to save lives.

New Be the One items under the Resources and Media tab:

• Frequently asked questions
• Sample media advisory and press release
• Sample speech
• Social media graphics
• Table banner
• Videos
• Virtual training

————————OLDER POSTS left for reference———————–

6/1/2023————————————————————————————————————

Need American Legion Family membership applications? We have two versions available – color and black-and-white – available for download. We created the black-and-white version to be printer friendly from your home office.

 Click to download new ALA eligibility graphic

ALA eligibility graphic-bold

Guess what?

Your Volunteer Time Counts!
Did you know that throughout the year it is important to report the hours you volunteer and the value of this time.

Each year the National Organization sets the value of our volunteer time. They refer to a website called www.independentsector.org. While there are different values for different states the national organization uses the average rate so that the reports from each department are consistent.

The Current Estimated National Value of Each Volunteer Hour Is

$33.49

Please this when calculating your hours and valued time for any committee report form that requests such information.

In the future you can view the website for more information by clicking HERE.

FROM THE NATIONAL FACEBOOK PAGE:

MISSION OUTREACH VS. MISSION AWARENESS: We’d like to provide some clarity on recent questions we’ve received about counting volunteer hours: