Children and Youth
Our Children and Youth Program is built upon the pledge to maintain the integrity of the American Legion Family. Not a child living, and certainly no veteran's child, should be without the necessities of life required to make a good citizen. Assistance is given to veterans and their spouses to keep their families together. Nurseries for children of the disabled are sponsored at government hospitals; material relief is provided for needy children; educational assistance and spiritual guidance are offered in an effort to curb delinquency, in addition to adequate housing and cooperation with local child welfare agencies and organizations.
Units of the Auxiliary throughout the country are working with their Posts for the betterment of their communities. They are conducting safety campaigns; providing playgrounds; beautifying parks and public buildings; sponsoring Girl Scout troops; aiding night schools; conducting health clinics and aiding hospitals in securing equipment; cooperating with safety councils; curbing juvenile delinquency and aiding the homeless.
This work is on such an extensive scale that it has assumed national importance. Through the development of their communities, Auxiliary Units and their Posts are making America a better place in which to live.
Service in time of disaster as always been a tradition in the American Legion Auxiliary. Through natural disasters the Auxiliary has worked side by side with The American Legion to feed, shelter and clothe victims and to help them restore their homes. Wherever disaster strikes, there are American Legion Auxiliary Units and American Legion Posts organized and ready to go into immediate action to hold the line against chaos and suffering until other relief can be mobilized and sent into the area.
The purposes and principles of the American Legion Auxiliary's Children and Youth Program are in general the same as those of The American Legion. Although the program is derived from mandates of The American Legion, the Auxiliary augments and adds to it through its continuing support of the overall program as well as through the sponsorship of special assignments and activities.
Units of the Auxiliary throughout the country are working with their Posts for the betterment of their communities. They are conducting safety campaigns; providing playgrounds; beautifying parks and public buildings; sponsoring Girl Scout troops; aiding night schools; conducting health clinics and aiding hospitals in securing equipment; cooperating with safety councils; curbing juvenile delinquency and aiding the homeless.
This work is on such an extensive scale that it has assumed national importance. Through the development of their communities, Auxiliary Units and their Posts are making America a better place in which to live.
Service in time of disaster as always been a tradition in the American Legion Auxiliary. Through natural disasters the Auxiliary has worked side by side with The American Legion to feed, shelter and clothe victims and to help them restore their homes. Wherever disaster strikes, there are American Legion Auxiliary Units and American Legion Posts organized and ready to go into immediate action to hold the line against chaos and suffering until other relief can be mobilized and sent into the area.
The purposes and principles of the American Legion Auxiliary's Children and Youth Program are in general the same as those of The American Legion. Although the program is derived from mandates of The American Legion, the Auxiliary augments and adds to it through its continuing support of the overall program as well as through the sponsorship of special assignments and activities.
Purposes
- To assure care and protection for children of veterans eligible for membership in The American Legion.
- To improve conditions for all children.
Principles
- To preserve the integrity of the family home.
- To maintain a "whole" child program, with due regard for all needs of children - physical, spiritual, emotional, and educational.
- To cooperate with and strengthen other sound organizations and agencies for children, avoiding duplication of existing programs.
Method of Operation
- Direct cash assistance and service, primarily to individual children or families of veterans.
- Education of the membership and the general public on the needs of children and recommended ways of meeting those needs.
- Support of needed federal legislation for children in accordance with resolutions adopted by the National Convention or National Executive Committee; of local ordinances in accordance with resolutions adopted by the local American Legion Post or Posts.
Organization
Every American Legion Auxiliary Unit should have a Children and Youth Chairman, and if the Unit is of sufficient size, a Children and Youth Committee. Working under the general guidance of the Unit President, it is the responsibility of the Children and Youth Chairman to help achieve the two primary goals of the Children and Youth program within her community: (1) Care and protection of children of veterans (2) Improved conditions for all children.Each American Legion Post should also have a Children and Youth Chairman. The National Headquarters of The American Legion strongly recommends that the Post and Unit Chairmen work in the closest cooperation. A local coordinated children and Youth Committee can often help achieve this end. Some device for coordinating the efforts of Post and Units is particularly needed in those communities which have more than one American Legion Post and Auxiliary Unit
Duties of the Unit Children and Youth Chairman
The duties of the Unit Children and Youth Chairman are in general the same as those of the Post Chairman. The duties are:
- Make sure that the pledge of care and protection for children of veterans is carried out through service work, through direct cash assistance to needy families from Unit funds, and through the use of Department or National funds for temporary aid to children of veterans.
- Provide leadership for the Unit on all matters pertaining to children.
- Cooperate with other responsible organizations and agencies of the community whose work is in the interest of children.
- Make regular reports of Children and Youth activities and plans to the general public, to the membership of the Unit, and whenever a formal report is requested, to the District or Department Children and Youth Chairman.
Direct Aid and Service to Children of Veterans
Much of the Children and Youth work of the Unit will be concerned with helping or getting help for individual families of veterans who are in need. It has never been the intention of the Children's and Youth Program that an Auxiliary Unit should take over full and continuing responsibility for the financial support of dependent families.A number of different agencies have been established by our federal, state, and local governments for this purpose. They are:Department of Veterans AffairsSocial Service AgenciesSocial Security offices, etc.One of the first things to be considered in attempting to help a family is the question of whether or not the family is eligible fro aid from one of these sources. It cannot be unrecommended too strongly that the Unit Children and Youth Chairman is to work in close cooperation with both the Service Officer and the Children and Youth Chairman of The American Legion. Both of these officers should be able to give valuable aid in obtaining help from these outside sources. We do have to recognize that while the various governmental agencies do have the major responsibility for helping families in need, there are frequently delays in obtaining such aid. There are cases when the aid furnished is inadequate. And there will be a few cases where, for one reason or another, there just doesn't seem to be any agency which can provide the needed assistance. These are the instances when the Unit will want to use its own welfare funds.
