Weekly Report to the National Commander
January 6, 2012
Jill Druskis, Director – (317) 630-1203
Children & Youth
“April is Children & Youth Month.” Now is the time to begin planning your posts activities to benefit children during April. For more information contact the Americanism and Children & Youth Division at ACY@legion.org.
Family Support Network
The American Legion’s Family Support Network stands ready to assist those families affected by activation and deployments in support of the Global War on Terror. Families and military personnel can contact the Family Support Network in one of two ways: the toll-free national hotline 1-800-504-4098 or by completing the electronic application located at http://www.legion.org/fsn. The National Headquarters of The American Legion received 2,158 requests during 2011.
Oratorical
Department oratorical contests begin Thursday, January 5, 2012. These contests will culminate by determining which one single contestant will proudly represent each department at the 75th Oratorical Contest National Finals in Indianapolis on April 13-15, 2012.
Junior Shooting Sports Program
The deadline to order target sets for the 2012 American Legion Junior Shooting Sports National Tournament is January 10, 2012. Fired target sets must then be returned by February 1, 2012.
American Legion Baseball
Online registration for the 2012 American Legion baseball season began on January 1st, signaling the start of this new season that will conclude in August at the ALB World Series in Shelby, North Carolina.
The ACY baseball staff is attending the annual American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) conference in Anaheim, California, from January 5th – 8th for information gathering and sharing. An American Legion baseball information booth will be staffed by several American Legion baseball coaches also attending from across the nation.
On January 7th while in Anaheim, the ACY baseball staff is attending a USA Baseball youth committee meeting, followed by attendance to a USA Baseball Board of Directors meeting on January 8th.
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INTERNAL AFFAIRS WEEKLY STATUS INPUT
Jack Querfeld, Director, Internal Affairs
(317) 630-1330
January 5, 2012
Membership
The current 2012 membership total is 1,695,520, which is 81% of the 2012 goal. Next target date is January 19th (80%).
DMS Program
The following is the status of the DMS program for the 2012 Membership Year:
The second mailing campaign of the 2012 Membership Year was completed on November 11, 2011.
Current DMS Acquires: Prospects 120,466 (81%)
Expires 28,603 (19%)
TOTAL 149,069
2012 Goal--- 210,000 % of Goal-- 70.98%
The third and last DMS mailing be will mailed in late January- tentative drop date 1/27/12
Current Renewal Rate for 2011 DMS Members—44.01% (95,437 of 216,823 new 2011 members)
On-Line Renewal Activity
2012 Membership Year On-Line Renewals (since 7/1/11) -- 120,750. Of that number 55% are DMS acquired and the remaining 45% is traditional. Interesting fact is that 36% are three year and less members with 74% being DMS and the remaining 26% traditional of that cohort of members.
National Emergency Fund
Between December 21-January 5, 2012, 28 applications have been processed totaling $20,000.
Sons of The American Legion
The Sons of The American Legion membership for 2012 currently stands at 189,621 members or 54.4 % on January 5, 2012. At present, the Sons are running 4,650 members ahead of this same date last year. The second Sons membership renewal postcard mailing will be made later in January subsequent to the January membership target date. We expect to mail approximately 95,000 postcards for this mailing. The next Sons membership target date is January 19th, which will be the 60% membership goal
Over 304,000 plus SAL National Update newsletters have been mailed just prior to Christmas and is being received by Sons members this past week. The SAL web site (www.legion.org/sons) is up and running. Modifications and the posting of articles of information are being made daily.
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
January 7, 2012
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Weekly Report to National Commander
Joe March, Director
(317) 630-1253; Cellular: (317) 748-1926
1. Video Streaming
Public relations A/V has received new TriCaster hardware designed to facilitate future Internet streaming projects. In addition to those events which streamed live last year, 2012 events will also include the Spring and Fall meetings at National Headquarters.
2. 2012 Commander’s PR Award
Recipient has accepted and is gratified to receive the award in Washington Feb. 29. Will be sending video, photos and promotional kit in advance.
3. Operation Comfort Warriors
As of today, $750, 773 has been raised for Operation Comfort Warriors since its inception in December 2008. More than $550,000 has been spent or committed to purchases to improve the morale, welfare and recreation of wounded, injured or ill warriors. Next week, PR staff will be visiting wounded warriors and distributing donations at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the Department of Washington. Included in the donations are Amazon giftcards for each of the wounded warriors, air rifle equipment, bicycles, yoga equipment and golf carts to transport outpatients from the barracks to the medical center.
Breaking Stories During the Week:
· The Philadelphia Inquirer published a piece by Catharine Hill, president of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., titled, “Colleges owe much to veterans.” She wrote, “If we commit to working together to identify a pool of veteran candidates and place them in the most appropriate schools, perhaps we can do our part to pay our debt to the young men and women who have borne the burden of the United States' wars.”
· In a national wire story headlined, “Panetta: Smaller military means extra risk,” reporter Robert Burns of the Associated Press wrote, “President Barack Obama vowed Thursday the United States will maintain the best-equipped military in history despite deep and looming defense budget cuts, but Pentagon leaders acknowledged the changes present additional risk.”
· National Guard (In Federal Status) and Reserve Mobilized as of September 13, 2011-- This week the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard announced a decrease in activated reservists. The net collective result is 1,312 fewer reservists activated than last week. At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 66,218; Navy Reserve, 4,410; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 9,683; Marine Corps Reserve, 5,141, and the Coast Guard Reserve, 761. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 86,213, including both units and individual augmentees.
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