Junior Activities
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April 15th: Purple Up! Day for Military Kids
2024-2025
Hello everyone! My name is Taylor Post-Paquin and I am a member of District 4, Unit 26 in Stafford Springs, CT. I first became a member of the American Legion Auxiliary in 2007 as a Junior member when my brother enlisted in the U.S. Army. Shortly after joining, I became Unit 26 Junior President. I rejoined in 2020 and made the decision to become an active member in not only my Unit, but District as well as Department this current 2024-2025 year. I am the chairman of the junior activities for Unit 26
Some interesting things I found is there are ALA units that have Junior members who live near their American Legion post home and can attend meetings and activities in person. However, other units are unique in that they have Juniors who are members but live in different states. We are finding ways where you don’t have to live in the same state to participate in the Poppy Poster Contest, Americanism Essay Contest, the ALA Patch Program, packing military care boxes, and more. Information on an activity can be sent to the Junior and then sent back to the unit. Juniors can use the MyAuxiliary Member Portal too! Allowing them to access ALA Academy courses, download Junior Patch Program materials, download ALA coloring books, and much more!
A new skill I was able to develop, we have now begun to create our presence on all social media platforms! All Auxiliary members both Seniors and Juniors, can see what’s going on in the organization by simply following us online! This will also be a way where our Juniors can post pictures or videos of themselves completing different patches!
Two things that were surprising that I learned is any Junior member of the ALA and school-aged Sons of The American Legion can be part of the Junior Patch Program. You don’t have to have an active group to participate. This is a great way to be involved in learning about the ALA, American Legion Family, volunteering in the community, and serving our country’s veterans. In addition, the newly created Purple Level allows preschoolers, ages 3 through kindergarten. Children of this age can earn the Americanism, Membership, and Poppy patches: Americanism which helps educate about the rights and responsibilities of an American citizen. Membership which helps you learn about your eligibility for membership and how it’s a gift from a veteran. As well as earning a Poppy patch where you learn it’s the symbol of sacrifices our veterans have made.
One thing that I want to do better is We know our younger members are the future of the American Legion Auxiliary — mentoring them is key to that future. We need to work on increasing our current member involvement but also work on increasing our Junior youth membership numbers.
Some interesting things I found is there are ALA units that have Junior members who live near their American Legion post home and can attend meetings and activities in person. However, other units are unique in that they have Juniors who are members but live in different states. We are finding ways where you don’t have to live in the same state to participate in the Poppy Poster Contest, Americanism Essay Contest, the ALA Patch Program, packing military care boxes, and more. Information on an activity can be sent to the Junior and then sent back to the unit. Juniors can use the MyAuxiliary Member Portal too! Allowing them to access ALA Academy courses, download Junior Patch Program materials, download ALA coloring books, and much more!
A new skill I was able to develop, we have now begun to create our presence on all social media platforms! All Auxiliary members both Seniors and Juniors, can see what’s going on in the organization by simply following us online! This will also be a way where our Juniors can post pictures or videos of themselves completing different patches!
Two things that were surprising that I learned is any Junior member of the ALA and school-aged Sons of The American Legion can be part of the Junior Patch Program. You don’t have to have an active group to participate. This is a great way to be involved in learning about the ALA, American Legion Family, volunteering in the community, and serving our country’s veterans. In addition, the newly created Purple Level allows preschoolers, ages 3 through kindergarten. Children of this age can earn the Americanism, Membership, and Poppy patches: Americanism which helps educate about the rights and responsibilities of an American citizen. Membership which helps you learn about your eligibility for membership and how it’s a gift from a veteran. As well as earning a Poppy patch where you learn it’s the symbol of sacrifices our veterans have made.
One thing that I want to do better is We know our younger members are the future of the American Legion Auxiliary — mentoring them is key to that future. We need to work on increasing our current member involvement but also work on increasing our Junior youth membership numbers.