May 05, 2017

Did you know?

By The American Legion
Dispatch
Did you know?
Did you know?

Legion crowns 80th National Oratorical Contest winner; Miss America to throw out first pitch at ALWS.

National Oratorical Contest. The American Legion crowned its 80th National Oratorical Contest champion on Sunday, April 23. Andrew Steinberg of Newton, Mass., who was sponsored by Post 440, earned a first-place finish and an $18,000 scholarship for his prepared oration, “The Constitution: A Lasting Legacy.” Robyn Anzulis of Woodbine, Md., who was sponsored by Post 191 in Mt. Airy, earned a $16,000 scholarship with a second-place finish; and Chad Durante of Follansbee, W. Va., who was sponsored by Post 3 in Moundsville, earned a $14,000 scholarship with a third-place finish.   
 
American Legion World Series. 2017 Miss America Savvy Shields will make a public appearance on Sunday, Aug. 13, at the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C. Shields will throw out the first pitch during Sunday’s games, as well as speak, sign autographs and take photos with fans at a ticketed meet-and-greet.
The American Legion Children’s Home. Located in Ponca City, Okla., the children's home provided a safe and nurturing home for at-risk children of veterans, as well as for children placed in the custody of Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services, from the 1920s until 2010. At age 9 in 1957, Barbra Mahorney Alusi and her siblings went to live in the home. Alusi, who was sponsored by Stillwater Auxiliary Unit 129, said she owes her life to The American Legion. “Without them, I would have died in my family environment.”
 
Alusi has written multiple books on the home and her time there. Read more about her experience in the online article “The Legion actually saved my life,” at  www.legion.org/youth.
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