District 18 of the American Legion Auxiliary will welcome the Department President, Norma DuVall  of Monrovia, at their dinner meeting at East Pasadena Post 280, 179 N Venido, Pasadena, on February 15^th.  Following the dinner at 6:00 p.m., District President DeNyse Laugeson of El Monte will open the meeting at 7:30 p.m.  Reservations for dinner may be made by calling the Post at 626-792-9938.

The District 18 Ritual Team will be on hand to serve as an “honor guard” for the top lady of the Department of California, as she returns to her own District and  Post. Having been installed at the American Legion Auxiliary Convention in Palm Springs  last  June,  Mrs.DuVall is one of five or six District 18 ladies that have served the Department of California in this capacity.

Americanism Chairman, Kathy Pitkin of of La Puente  reminds Units participating in the annual Americanism Essay Contest that essays  must be picked up at local schools by Friday, March 5^th for judging.  The Auxiliary has sponsored this program for many years and involves students in five groups: Group I, 4^th & 5^thgrade, will write on “My American Hero”,  Group II, 6^th & 7^th grade, “An American I Admire”,  Group III, 8^th & 9^th grade, “What Makes American Great”, Group IV^, 10^th, 11^th & 12^th grade “My Responsibility to My Country” and Group V, Children with Exceptional Needs, “My Favorite President”. Students in the high school category have an opportunity to win  a $2,500 scholarship on the state (Department) level, with prizes in each group on the various levels – Unit, District and Department..

All Presidents of the fifteen local Units will personally be introduced to the Department President when a monetary gift will be presented to her for her special project, “Operation Mend”, an extensive program in-volving the Brooke Medical Center, UCLA and returning military personnel with serious facial injuries.  Although the Army Hospital was doing great work for these wounded soldiers, they could not provide the level of plastic and reconstructive surgery that UCLA could.  These patients need many surgeries, and although the doctors,  nurses  and support staff volunteer their time, there are other expenses involving the surgeries as well as the need to provide  travel and housing for families of these heros so they can be with them during surgery.  This is where the American Legion Auxiliary, other organizations and individual citizens can help.