Family First is the theme for my year as your national commander. And what better way to recognize our families, the foundation of this nation, than during National Family Week, Nov. 19-25.
I encourage all members of the American Legion Family to initiate and engage in local activities during National Family Week that promote, encourage and celebrate healthy families and communities.
At the post level you can host a family-friendly festival that includes fun children-specific activities such as face painting, bounce houses and games; conduct a community family project; invite families to a meal at the post to initiate strong communication; or host a military appreciation event.
As for our military family, I encourage posts to communicate with local military families about the needs they may have if a loved one is deployed. As the nation’s largest veterans service organization, our commitment to the men and women of our armed forces and their families never wavers. Together, we must act to ensure that no military family endures unnecessary hardships caused by service to their country. By doing so, we ensure that The American Legion is serving its veterans, servicemembers and their families.
There are Legion-supported organizations that you can work with during National Family Week that may have resources that you can use to support your week of activities.
These organizations include:
- Focus on the Family (www.family.org)
- Alliance for Children and Family (www.alliance1.org)
- Administration for Children and Families (www.acf.hhs.gov)
Download the Legion’s "National Family Week" brochure for further assistance at www.legion.org/publications.
Let’s show our communities that we are a family that not just takes care of our own members, we stand ready to take care of our active-duty military and their families, we take care of our veterans and their families and when you look at our four pillars and all of our programs, we take care of our entire nation’s families.
