ALA, Dept of Washington

The American Legion Auxiliary believes education is vital to democracy and that investing time and money to educate our youth is literally an investment in America’s future. Our Education program fosters learning for children in our own communities, with our main focus on the children of our military and veterans.

We know the sacrifices of our veterans are the reason we live in freedom; easing the burden of the cost of their children’s education is one way we can express our gratitude to them. To that purpose, the Auxiliary supports a number of scholarship programs on the Department and National level. These include the Department Susan Burdett, Margureite McAlpin, Florence Lemke and two gift Scholarships. As well the National President’s Scholarship educating Children of Warriors, awarded annually to 15 outstanding students who are the children of veterans; the Non-Traditional Student Scholarship, awarded annually to five students who are members of The American Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of The American Legion; and the Spirit of Youth Scholarship, awarded annually to one Junior Auxiliary member in each of the Auxiliary’s five national divisions. Units and departments are encouraged to publicize the availability of these scholarship programs in their communities and to establish new scholarships at the local level.

Educating our communities about the sacrifices of our military men and women is another goal of the Auxiliary. Units and departments are encouraged to participate in our organization’s national education initiatives and those of The American Legion. One of these initiatives—Veterans in the Classroom—is an effort to bring history to life by having local veterans speak to students about their real life experiences in the military. Other initiatives include collaborating with Family Readiness Groups, known as FRGs, to assist with special projects for the schools on military bases, and conducting local projects to donate school supplies to children in need.