The Millennium
January 2025
Volume 2 | Issue 1 | Number 1 | January 2025 Subscribe at: www.legion.org/information-center/in-the-media/e-newsletters Joe Guidice (NY): National Publicity & Media Communication Commission Vice Chairman
Detachment of New York raises $66,481.37 for NY VA centers and Hope For Warriors Top Ten Detachments Membership Percentage 1. Hawaii 91.79% 2. South Dakota 80.15% 3. Wisconsin 79.44% 4. South Carolina 75.82% 5. Iowa 72.70% 6. Louisiana 72.34% 7. Montana 71.98% 8. Maryland 71.98% 9. Illinois 71.56% 10. Puerto Rico 70.00% Statistics as of 02 January 2025
Happy 2025! Inside this Month’s Newsletter National Adjutant Wright: Volunteering Time and Talent Ohio: The Party Before the Game Sons on Social Media: Snapshots of the SAL at work over the Holidays National Reports: VCF and Membership, Membership, Membership! Wisconsin: Welcoming a Hero Home Freezin’ for a Reason
Submitted Photo: Detachment of NY
Every spring, the Detachment of New York, along with the Department of New York American Legion Auxiliary, runs a state-wide Walk A Thon Campaign. This year all of the proceeds benefitted the 13 VA Medical Centers, five New York state veterans homes, and Hope For Warriors. Each year since its inception, the program has grown and set a new fundraising record. This year’s total donations hit a record-high at $66,481.37, surpassing last year’s total by over $9,450.
Led by SAL Chairman PNC Christopher Cerullo and ALA Chairperson Marie Santacroce, the program asks squadrons, units and posts to either hold a traditional Walk A Thon in their community or raise funds by selling “Walk A Thon Boots” cut-outs in their communities and to their families, friends, and Legion families. The “Boots” are something similar to the shamrocks or hearts that are often seen near the checkout lines in stores. A person makes a donation in any amount (the suggested donation is $5), writes their name on the Boots flyer, and the flyer is then displayed. Many New York Legion posts are now wallpapered each spring with the Boots cut-outs for the duration of the fundraiser. When the fundraising period is over, squadrons and units send in a check to their department office, where the funds are totaled and then the individual checks are distributed to members in the fall to present at facilities in their local areas. This year, the VA Medical Centers and veterans homes in New York state are each being presented with a check for $1,850 from the Detachment of New York, plus the Hope For Warriors Foundation will be receiving $33,000 from the Department of New York Auxiliary. The VA centers are able to use the money for anything that directly benefits the veterans in the facilities. The Boots cut-outs are available to the membership online, along with all of the other forms needed to run the Walk A Thon and flyers to explain the program. New York’s detachment officers and district commanders along with other members hand deliver the checks to the VA staff often accompanied by Auxiliary members and Legionnaires. Pictures from the check presentations are featured in the Detachment of New York’s newsletter, “The Liberty.” “For my first time being Detachment Walk A Thon Submitted Photo: Detachment of NY chairman, I found it very exciting to see where all this money came from. Auxiliary units, squadrons, Riders, and Legion posts. Some of the stories are so great and being the 2025 chairman once again I hope that these stories continue!” said PNC Christopher Cerullo. “Don’t just mail in the check, tell your local members how and why you raise this money and how they can be a part of it, too. They can go beyond the Legion post - they can go to their workplace, they can go to their families and friends, too. I know with the help that we had during this past year, 2025 is going to be an outrageous year for the Walk A Thon.”
A National Newsletter of the Sons of The American Legion
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