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American Legion Boys State
is among the most respected and selective educational programs of
government instruction for high school students. It is a
participatory program where each participant becomes a part of the
operation of his local, county and state
government.
Boys State
has been a program of The American Legion since 1935 when it
organized to counter the Fascist inspired Young Pioneer Camps. The
program was the idea of two Illinois Legionnaires, Hayes Kennedy and
Harold Card, who organized the first Boys State at the Illinois
State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
At
American Legion Boys State, participants are exposed to the rights
and privileges, the duties and the responsibilities of a franchised
citizen. The training is objective and practical with city, county
and state governments operated by the students elected to the
various offices. Activities include legislative sessions, court
proceedings, law enforcement presentations, assemblies, bands,
chorus and recreational programs.
High
school juniors are selected by local American Legion Posts to attend
the program. In most cases, expenses associated with attending this
program are paid by a sponsoring American Legion Post, a local
business or another community-based
organization.
American Legion Boys State is
currently conducted in 49 Departments of The American Legion. Hawaii
does not conduct a program. As separate corporations, Boys States
vary in content and method of procedure, but each and every Boys
State adheres to the basic concept of the program - that of teaching
government from the township to the state
level.
The
American Legion Auxiliary sponsors a similar program for young
ladies called Girls State. For online details visit www.legion.org
Two outstanding
representatives from each of 48 Boys States are called upon to
represent their state at American Legion Boys Nation in Washington,
DC. It is here that the young leaders, who had excelled at their
respective Boys States, are introduced to the structure and function
of the federal government.
The first American Legion Boys
Nation (then called Boys Forum of National Government) was held in
August 1946 at American University in Washington, DC. It was
officially adopted as a major youth activity by the 1946 National
Convention. Three years later, its name was changed to American
Legion Boys Nation.
At American Legion Boys Nation, each
delegate represents his Boys State as a Senator. These youthful
lawmakers caucus at the beginning of the session, organize into
committees and conduct hearings on bills submitted by delegates to
the program.
The Boys Nation Senators are instructed on the
proper method of handling bills according to the rules of the United
States Senate. Actual participation in the political process is
highlighted throughout the week to include the organization of party
conventions and the nomination and election of a Boys Nation
President and Vice President.
The week of government training
in the Nation's Capitol combines lectures and forums with
visitations to federal agencies, institutions, memorials and
historical spots in and around Washington. During a visit to Capitol
Hill, Boys Nation Senators meet with elected officials from their
home states.
Boys Nation visits several historic and
governmental sites in and around the Washington, DC area. Included
are field trips to Arlington National Cemetery, the monuments and
memorials on the National Mall, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S.
Department of State, the U.S. Capitol and the White
House.
Since its beginning in 1946, Boys Nation has seen many
of its graduates elected to public offices which include the
Presidency of the United States, the United States Congress, as
state governors and as state legislators. Many others became
inspired to actively work for the campaigns of individuals seeking
public office.
ORATORICAL
The purpose of The
American Legion’s National High School Oratorical Contest is to
develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of
the United States on the part of high school students. Other
objectives of the contest include the development of leadership
qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently,
and the preparation for acceptance of the duties and
responsibilities, the rights and privileges of American
citizenship.
Scouting Program
Support for the Boy Scout movement came at The
American Legion's first National Convention in 1919. Today, there
are more than 2,500 Boy Scout units sponsored by Legion Posts
throughout the country.
Supporting Boy Scout activities is
natural for Legionnaires, who bring their service-learned skills and
experiences as veterans to bear to help build character and positive
traits in "Young America." Few other Post activities generate more
goodwill from the community.
The
18th annual Junior Air Rifle 3-Position National Championship is a
shoulder-to-shoulder match that will be held at the USA Shooting
Range Facilities at the Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs,
CO., August 5 - 10, 2008. The National Champions in both categories
receive $1000.00 college scholarships generously donated by the Sons
of The American Legion.
For information about this event,
please contact: Mike Buss (317) 630-1249 e-mail: mbuss@legion.org
Legion College
The American Legion National College enhances
knowledge and appreciation of The American Legion as well as the
core values and contributions of The American Legion, The American
Legion Auxiliary, The Sons of The American Legion and many of their
subordinate programs. The National College prepares young
Legionnaires to hold leadership positions in Posts, Districts,
Counties, Areas and Departments through education, development, and
motivation. The curriculum challenges our student leaders to think
critically and creatively about issues confronting The American
Legion in the 21st Century.
Educational Aids
The American Legion National Committee on
Education keeps the Legion abreast of developments and problems in
education. The committee recommends appropriate policies and
programs that the Legion should adopt and maintains contact with the
educational community, exchanging ideas freely with educators,
students and other organizations concerned with the well-being of
the nation's education system.
Much of the committee's
efforts are directed toward veterans returning to school,
citizenship developement, adult education, financial aid programs
and participating in American Education Week.
Endowment Fund
Income from Endowment Fund investments are
passed on to the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation and Child
Welfare programs of The American Legion National Organization, and
channeled through them to state and local programs.
National Emergency
Fund
Legion
Family Members helping Legion Family Members
Our Preamble to The American Legion Constitution says it best,
"…devotion to mutual helpfulness." This phrase is more than just
mere words on paper; it’s our pledge of support to our distressed
comrades. Since the early 1920’s, The American Legion has been
actively involved in meeting the needs of both the community and
individual Legion family members in the wake of disaster.
Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires…The American
Legion National Emergency Fund was born out of natural disasters to
compassionately heal the wounds of catastrophe and help save their
homes. A major disaster could happen to any Legionnaire in any town
at anytime and make them homeless.
The National Emergency
Fund has provided over $3,000,000 in direct financial assistance to
Legion family members and posts. The National Emergency Fund has
kept posts from closing and enabled Legion family members to begin
to rebuild their homes and their lives.
Eligibility
Criteria:
1. Eligibility open to Legionnaires, Auxiliary
** and Sons members (up to $1,500) Legion Posts (up to $5,000). (**
If Auxiliary membership is less than 5 years continuous. Otherwise,
will be forwarded to the National American Legion Auxiliary for
consideration.)
2. Not meant to replace or repair items,
only to meet most immediate needs (i.e., temporary housing, food,
water, clothing, diapers, etc.)
3. Membership must be active
at time of disaster and the time of application
How To
Apply
1. Application must be received within 90 days of
disaster.
2. Disaster must be a “declared natural disaster"
by Federal, State or local government authorities.
3.
Supporting data (photos, repair estimates, etc.) should be included
if at all possible or statements (testimony) from
post/district/department officers attesting to damages.
4.
Only one grant per household.
5. Not designed for insurance
compensation, loss of business, outbuildings on your property
(barns, tool sheds, silos, etc.), equipment (tractors or other farm
vehicles), or any type of automobile.
Members must complete a
National Emergency Fund Grant Application. Applications may be
obtained by contacting your Department Headquarters or by calling
The American Legion National Headquarters at (317) 630-1321. You can
also download a grant application by clicking here.
Application is properly
completed by applicant then sent to the Department Headquarters for
approval.
If everything is in order, department will forward
to National. Upon approval at the National level, a check will be
sent to the Department Headquarters for delivery to the Legion
Family Member or Post in distress.
How You Can
Help
We have an obligation to assist those less fortunate
members when the need arises, and we do – through our donations to
the National Emergency Fund. All contributions made to this fund are
deposited in a special account and are used exclusively to meet our
member’s most urgent needs. Not one single contribution dollar is
used for fundraising, administrative costs or fulfillment.
The money in the fund comes by way of generous donations
from Legionnaires, American Legion Auxiliary members and Sons of The
American Legion members.
Send your tax-Deductible
Contributions To:
The American Legion
National Emergency
Fund
P. O. BOX 6141
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206
Veterans & Active Duty
The American Legion exists for veterans and their families. We
honor and support all veterans who have served our country. Within
this section pertinent information focused on veterans’ assistance
along with our family support network are covered. Additionally, a
wealth of information is provided on our Heroes To Hometown
initiative and other highlighted Veterans Administration
announcements and bulletins
"Welcoming home severely injured service members"
"Heroes to Hometowns" is a transition program for severely
injured service members returning home from OEF/OIF. "Heroes to
Hometowns" establishes a support network and coordinates resources
for severely injured service members returning home.
If you are a service member, veteran or family member of a
service member or veteran who has been severely injured, please fill
out the Heroes to Hometowns request form.
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The American Legion stands for a
strong America. There is no better way to bring this about
than to work with the youth of our land in preparing them to
meet the tasks they will face in the years to come. Through
its many youth activities, The American Legion is playing the
leading role in developing furture citizens of
America.
Child
Safety
The American Legion
Family has demonstrated a strong concern for the safety of
this nation's young people since the early 1920's. By
developing child safety programs within each community, help
can be provided to our youngest generation affording them to
lead happier and safer lives.
The "Make Halloween a
Safe and Fun Night" Program was developed specifically for
local Posts and Units to help eliminate many of the accidents
associated yearly with Halloween. The American Legion is the
only organization in this country that promotes, sponsors, and
takes an active role in a Halloween Safety program for
youngsters.
Publication: "Make Halloween a Safe and
Fun Night" Brochure (Stock #24-012) Designed for children.
Facts on "Trick or Treat" safety.
Juvenile
Delinquency Prevention
While juveniles
account for approximately 35 percent of our population, they
account for better than 50 percent of serious crimes as
reported by the FBI Uniform Crime Reports.
The American Legion's Americanism
programs (link to Youth Activities) promote the ideals of
citizenship, teamwork, loyalty, fair play, courage, physical
fitness, and mental toughness, needed to give our youth the
skills necessary to be a positive influence on
others.
We must all work together to provide
safe schools and neighborhoods where all young people -- from
preschoolers to teenagers -- can learn and grow. We must try
to instill a sense of responsibility and civic pride in youth
and respect the power of their energies, ideas, and commitment
to change communities for the better.
The American Legion recognizes the
important role our organization plays in education and
prevention activities and has made a public commitment to the
goal of protecting America's children.
Our materials, designed to help
promote child safety, are provided to communities through our
Post network.
"Warning Signs" Brochure (Stock
#24-005) Designed for children. Facts about teenage
suicide.
"Gateway Drugs" Brochure (Stock
#24-006) Designed to help children make responsible decisions.
Basic facts on alcohol, marijuana and cocaine.
For more information, contact the
Americanism, Children and Youth division at acy@legion.org
Family
EmphasisThe family is the
cornerstone of American society. But today, modern society
places demands on the family that did not exist in years past
-- demands that can chip away at family strength and unity.
For many years, the National Commission on Children &
Youth has, by mandate, advocated the passage of federal
legislation designating the week of Thanksgiving as National
Family Week.
In today's fast-paced society, time
is at a premium. It is important to remember, both children
and adults prefer full attention some of the time to partial
attention most of the time. Knowing family members want to
spend time with you makes a big difference. Let your children
know you want to spend time with them. Then find some creative
ways to make it happen.
Publication: "National Family Week"
(Stock #24-009) Emphasizes the importance of family
togetherness during the week of
Thanksgiving.
For more information, contact the
Americanism, Children and Youth division at acy@legion.org
 
The American
Legion Child Welfare Foundation
Our foremost philanthropic priority is to provide
other nonprofit organizations with a means to educate
the public about the needs of children across this
nation.
Not all American children grow up inside the
comfortable definition of normal childhood development.
For thousands, each day is a challenge marked by pain,
prayer and perseverance. Many of these youngsters
require specialized care. To overcome their obstacles,
they need help from you and the American Legion Child
Welfare Foundation.
Established in 1954, the American Legion Child
Welfare Foundation was developed as a repository of
funds from individuals who wished to contribute to the
betterment of children in this country. Our foremost
philanthropic priority is to provide other nonprofit
organizations with the means to educate the public about
the special needs of children across this
nation.
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Visit the
The American Legion Child and Welfare Foundation web site for
more information at:
http://www.legion.org/cwf/
The
American Legion's established partnership with Children's
Miracle Network (CMN), seeks to enhance its efforts to provide
quality health services to children. CMN is associated with
170 hospitals that treat children with all types of
afflictions; rendering treatment based on need and not just
the ability to pay. One hundred percent of all contributions
go directly to children's hospitals to provide healthcare for
children, whose parents can't afford to pay, help to purchase
up-to-date equipment, conduct life-saving research, and
implement outreach programs.
Fund
Raising Guidebook (stock No. 24-027) Designed to provide
general suggestions on conducting fund-raising projects for
the CMN.
Children's Miracle Network and The American
Legion have created a Fund Raising Guidebook to assist local
Posts and individuals in raising money for their local
participating hospitals. The Guidebook contains answers to
important questions including what you should do, how to do
it, and why. The guidebook provides your local organizations
with contacts in your community to help you get started. It
even includes a multitude of fund raising ideas that you can
draw from. There are many recognition and incentive awards
available, including a trip to Walt Disney World for the
annual CMN Champions television broadcast.
Temporary Financial
Assistance |
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You can make a
donation to the Temporary Financial Assistance program by
sending your check or money order, made out
to:
Temporary Financial Assistance
PO Box
361626
Indianapolis, IN 46235-5331
In the 1920s The
American Legion began a national program of Temporary
Financial Assistance to keep the children of deceased or
disabled veterans at home rather than in institutions. This
cash aid is still available for cases not covered by
subsequent state and federal programs for the needy. In 1999,
the TFA program provided more than $302,983 to 466 families,
benefiting almost 960 children.
Through TFA, a
local Post can call upon the National Organization for cash
assistance to help maintain the basic needs of veterans'
children. The TFA fund has been used to assist families in
meeting the costs of shelter, food, utilities and health
expense items when the parents are unable to do so, thereby
keeping the child, or children, in a more stable home
environment.
TFA Case Studies
Not being able to
work due to an operation on his shoulder, a 20% disabled
veteran and his two minor children were in financial
difficulty. The mother of the children had abandoned the
family, providing no support. While the family was receiving
Food Stamps and assistance with their rent, they had fallen
behind on the electric bill and there was a good chance it
would be cut-off. While a Service Officer was working to
upgrade the veteran's disability claim, the Temporary
Financial Assistance program stepped in and paid the electric
bill, assuring the children would have a safe and warm home in
which to live.
A Persian Gulf War
veteran, with two minor children and a seventeen-year member
of the Air Force National Guard, was discharged due to a
disability he received while on active duty. When he was
granted 50% disability VA benefits, he was informed he would
have to repay thousands of dollars received as severance pay
upon his discharge, reducing his monthly benefit to a paltry
$182 a month. This amount, however, coupled with the minimum
wages received by his wife put the family $6 over the income
limit to receive Food Stamps. In addition, the family had
fallen behind in their rent. The Temporary Financial
Assistance program provided rent money sufficient to ward off
eviction as a Service Officer worked to increase the
disability claim with the VA and assisted the veteran in
filing for Social Security benefits.
Sometimes the
Temporary Financial Assistance program simply provides dollars
to help the parents with the general health and welfare of the
children. Such was the case when a Coast Guard veteran was
discharged with a very serious skin disease developed from
exposure to chemicals used in his military trained maintenance
position as an airplane mechanic. He was hired by civilian
companies, because of his military training, but was again
exposed to chemicals similar to those that caused the original
problem. As a result, it was finally determined he would have
to be retrained through the VA Vocational Rehabilitation
program. The veteran's wife was a substitute teacher and the
income from this work was sporadic, at best, and the family
was falling behind financially. Assistance was provided to
give this family a hand up until the veteran was enrolled in
the Vocational Rehabilitation program.
Both veterans, this
couple of one minor child, were injured in an automobile
accident. The veteran father lost his job as a result of his
injuries. The veteran mother returned to work, but was then
injured by one of her patients and placed on Workman's
Compensation. As the family worked to overcome these
difficulties, they fell behind on the electric bill and the
company was threatening to cut-off their service. The
Temporary Financial Assistance program paid the bill and the
family was able to get through a tough time without placing
the child in jeopardy.
A veteran's wife
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and the early medical
expenses were complicating the family's ability to maintain
the basic needs of their two minor children. Efforts were
underway in the community to assist the family locally and
applications for social services were being prepared. All of
which would take some time to fall into place. In the
meantime, the Temporary Financial Assistance program made the
mortgage payments to prevent the family from losing their
home.
One week after the
birth of his fourth child, this unemployed Persian Gulf
veteran, suffering from Persian Gulf Syndrome, was notified by
his landlord that his family would have to move due to a real
estate deal. With his wife not able to return to work and
receiving only subsistence allowance from his union, the
family was unable to come up with the finances for the first
and last month's rent and security deposit necessary to move
his family. The Temporary Financial Assistance program
provided the needed funds to get the family settled in a new
home. With the help of a Service Officer, his
service-connected disability claim was appealed.
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