he said, that their lost loved ones are more than just a number in the statistics of war casualties. VFW National Home Board


President Donna Knapper thanked all of the “generous and loyal members” for more than $33,000 raised for the bathroom renovations at the guest lodge on campus. “Your National President set the bar high, and members responded,” she said. “With great leadership, great things happen...I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart: You can be very, very proud of what you do for the National Home for Children.” Georgia State Troopers escorted


10-year-old Buddy Poppy Child Christina Maurier, and Executive Director Patrice Greene showed a delightful video illustrating how and where members’ donations are improving the lives of military personnel and their families, from nursery to student computer lab to updated cooling system to guest lodge amenities. She reported the groundbreaking for a new duplex at the Home, a duplex that will now serve two more veterans’ families. “When people come from all over to visit the National Home,” she said, “they are in awe of what you have achieved.”


Cancer Aid & Research contributions included $25,000 to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for research into rare sarcomas. Dr. Dejka Araujo said she was led to her field while a third-year medical student at the VA Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. “It was a veteran who inspired me to dedicate my life to becoming an oncologist,” she said.


10 LADIES AUXILIARY VFW MAGAZINE


A second $25,000 donation went to the University of Texas Cancer Therapy and Research Center in San Antonio for breast cancer research. Dr. Peter Ravdin stressed how the Auxiliary’s Cancer Aid & Research Program benefits the community, the country and the rest of the world as well. Because of donations like this, the risk of dying of breast cancer is falling each year, with most women being cured, he said. “So you’re playing a huge role in making a difference. We all benefit and we all thank you.” National President Barnes


introduced special guests Al Lugo and Jack McDermott from “a little gem in Florida” she had visited called the VFW Retirement Home. With a $5,000 donation, she said, “I want us to be a part of this and an example for all of us.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36