LOCAL AUXILIARY UNIT 44 WINS AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY
NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

INDIANAPOLIS—American Legion Auxiliary Gaines T. Evans Unit 44 in Elephant Butte, N.M., was one of only five units to receive the National President’s Award for Excellence from American Legion Auxiliary National President Carlene Ashworth. Awards were presented Aug. 31 at the American Legion Auxiliary’s 91st National Convention in Minneapolis.

The National President’s Award for Excellence is presented annually to American Legion Auxiliary units that represent the “best of the best” in planning and implementation of the American Legion Auxiliary’s mission. Recipients are selected based on applications that address the unit’s achievements in Auxiliary national goals and objectives in at least three Auxiliary programs.

Unit 44, which counts 30 percent of the community’s population among its members,  successfully implemented multiple community-based programs over the past year. Members organized fishing trips--complete with fishing guides and sack lunches--for 100 wounded soldiers from the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Bliss. They also organized a golf tournament for 20 wounded soldiers, which ultimately involved 200 men. Unit 44 members also collected and donated about $17,000 in care package items during the year.

Founded in 1919, the American Legion Auxiliary is the world’s largest patriotic women’s service organization. With a membership of nearly 850,000, local American Legion Auxiliary units have a strong presence in more than 9,500 communities nationwide. The American Legion Auxiliary’s mission to serve veterans, their families and their communities is carried out through its hundreds of outreach programs delivered by its members, volunteers and National Headquarters.

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