October 08, 2012

American Legion by the numbers

Dispatch
American Legion by the numbers
American Legion by the numbers

New Consolidated Post Report shows the many ways Legionnaires are making differences in their communities and beyond.

American Legion posts around the world gave millions of hours, raised millions of dollars and influenced millions of lives in 2011 and 2012. The newest American Legion Consolidated Post Report, released in August, attaches numbers to the Legion’s acts of advocacy and outreach.

The number of posts reporting their performance jumped by 485 this year, which means a little more than 60 percent of American Legion posts collect data and submit the reports.

"It is nice to see an increase in the number of reports compared to the previous year, but we can do better than that," American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz said. "If even 10 percent more of our posts submitted reports, we would make it clearer to veterans, communities and the federal government the important role The American Legion fulfills across the land. It would be great if every post submitted their CPRs."

In addition to traditional paper reporting, posts can fill out and submit their forms online through myLegion.org, the members-only area of the national website.

Here is a snapshot of activities performed by American Legion posts, according to the 2011-2012 American Legion Consolidated Post Report:

Service

  • 3,917,943: Number of volunteer community service hours logged by Legion posts
  • $4,621,777: Amount of money spent on community services by Legion posts
  • 140,978: Number of veteran cases handled by American Legion post service officers
  • $2,258,893: Money posts spent to provide emergency aid at the local level
  • $1,585,868: Money posts raised for VA hospitals in their local communities
  • 32,016: Number of registered VA Volunteer Services members
  • 825: Number of Heroes to Hometowns coordinators
  • 83,746: Pints of blood donated through Legion posts
  • 46,528: Number of blood donors who gave through Legion posts
  • 853: Number of Crime Prevention/Law and Order programs conducted
  • 959: Number of Fire Prevention Programs conducted
  • 756: Number of Homeland Security/Disaster Relief programs conducted
  • 36,891: Number of annual community events conducted by Legion posts
  • $277,735: Amount raised by local posts for the National Emergency Fund

Troop Support

  • $376,495: Amount posts provided for the Family Support Network
  • $301,478: Amount posts provided through the Temporary Financial Assistance program
  • $946,400: Amount posts spent on Support Our Troops efforts
  • 500,625: Volunteer hours spent on Support Our Troops efforts

Media

  • 2,751: Number of post publications
  • 2,151: Number of post websites

Youth

  • 14,297: Number of American Legion Children & Youth program activities conducted by posts
  • $1,993,951: Dollar amount of cash aid provided by posts for Children & Youth activities
  • 7,576: Number of ROTC Medals presented
  • 14,867: Number of young men sponsored for Boys State
  • $3,144,7343: Amount of money invested by posts for Boys State
  • 6,601: Number of participants in American Legion Junior Shooting Sports clubs
  • $267,593: Amount spent in support of Junior Shooting Sports program
  • $830,053: Amount of money raised for the Legacy Scholarship
  • 2,254: Number of American Legion Baseball teams sponsored by posts
  • $5,925,258: Amount spent by posts in support of American Legion Baseball
  • 2,097: Number of Scouting units sponsored by Legion posts
  • 46,882: Number of youths participating in Legion-sponsored Scouting units
  • 901: Number of American Legion Vets in the Classroom programs
  • 1,178: Number of American Legion Oratorical Contests conducted
  • 9,129: Number of youths participating in The American Legion Oratorical Contest
  • $269,119: Amount of money invested in Oratorical Contests by Legion posts
  • 25,722: Number of American Legion School Medals awarded
  • 13,259: Number of American Legion scholarships awarded at the local level
  • $3,782,638: Amount of American Legion scholarship money awarded at the local level
  • $156,012: Amount raised by Legion posts to help children’s hospitals
  • $311,633: Amount raised by Legion posts in support of Special Olympics

Employment

  • 3,067: Number of veterans placed in jobs with help from the Legion
  • 1,096: Number of veterans placed in job-training programs with help from the Legion
  • 920: Number of posts participating in veteran career fairs

Citizenship

  • 305: Number of citizenship and naturalization programs involving Legion posts

Community Events

  • 4,327: Number of Flag Day events coordinated by Legion posts
  • 1,489: Number of Get Out the Vote events coordinated by Legion posts
  • 7,121: Number of Memorial Day events coordinated by Legion posts
  • 4,365: Number of Fourth of July events coordinated by Legion posts
  • 1,335: Number of Four Chaplains ceremonies conducted by Legion posts
  • 3,175: Number of American Legion Birthday events conducted by Legion posts
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