Promote Children & Youth month

The American Legion’s national theme for Children and Youth Month (April) is "Children ... Our Most Precious Natural Resource."

Post leaders are encouraged to use and support this theme in the promotion of all Children and Youth programs. In 1938, April was formally designated as Child Welfare Month (now called Children & Youth Month) and has continued on an annual basis. During this time, all posts are encouraged to show their community that The American Legion Family is committed to children.

The "April is … Children & Youth Month" brochure provides helpful hints for conducting a successful program. Contact ACY at ACY@legion.org or 317-630-1202 to order copies.

Military.Com features Claims Coach app: Military.com published a story of the new American Legion app, Claims Coach. "The American Legion has developed and launched a smartphone app to help veterans apply to the Department of Veterans Affairs for disability compensation. "I think it’s exactly the right thing at the right time, because everything is going into that newer, quicker, portable" means of communicating, said K. Robert Lewis, a Legion state service officer in Connecticut." The app is available at www.legion.org/mobileapps.

Focusing on military-connected children: AC&Y staff this week will attend a Military Child Education Coalition meeting in Indianapolis. The goal of the conference is to develop state-specific plans in support of the military-connected children of Indiana. According to DoD (9/30/2010) data, there are more than 21,400 military-connected children in Indiana. For more information, go to www.MilitaryChild.org

Membership Program: The current 2013 traditional membership total is 1,444,186, which is 72 percent of the 2013 goal. (Up from 70 percent last week.)

DMS Acquires: Prospects 60,319; Expires 36,109; TOTAL 96,428

2013 Goal: 210,000; percentage of goal 45.9 percent (up from 45.3 percent)

Current Renewal Rate for 2012 DMS Members: 34.8 percent (up from 34.4 percent)

On-Line Renewal Activity

2013 Membership Year On-Line Renewals (since 7/1/12); 129,574 (up from 125,598)

Veterans PSA Package: On Veterans Day weekend, the use of the "Celebrate Our Veterans" PSA package, which included the new Patriotic Holidays spots, was engaged by stations across the country. Feedback cards continue to roll in with positive responses and promises to use the holiday spots in rotation. The television spots are closed-captioned, which, in addition to the service for the hearing-impaired, will enable their airings to be tracked by the TV Eyes monitoring service. The spots are available free to all public relations officers/chairmen upon email request to pr@legion.org.