Are you ready for some baseball?

Are you still actively searching for Youth Hero and Good Deed award prospects?

This time of year, kids are supporting many outdoor chores for others and might be a good time to reach out if you see something like this on Facebook or in the community. Listen up for those children at school that have supported their classmates or teachers on the playground as perhaps they may be doing a good deed, and we don’t even know it.

Let your educators know about the awards and they can be our advocates, as well. Let’s really do what we can to recognize and reward the positive actions of our children and youth.

There are so many ways to engage with children and youth in your communities! National Children and Youth Chair Lisa Chaplin reaches out on the national Facebook page with invaluable information regarding this important program, which is one of the pillars of the American Legion Family!

Here are other ways our Legion Family and community can engage: Americanism Essay Contest, Poppy Poster Contest, promoting scholarships, ALA Girls State and TAL Boys state programs, American Legion Youth Shooting sports, American Legion Oratorical Contest, American Legion Baseball.

Did you know that half of the Major league Baseball players played Legion ball and 81 of the Baseball Hall of Fame members played Legion Ball! We just need to let the world know what we do and have to offer! It’s pretty neat!

OK, get those piggy banks out and bring them along to your events so we can raise more money for the Child Well-Being Foundation. Minnesota needs to do what we can in our Northwest Division to get more donations so we can increase the donation total as we are at $665, and though not at the bottom, we are close to it, with Nebraska in the lead at $2,180.46.

I encourage you to reach out to your Legion Family and have a piggy bank or whatever creative bank/bucket, etc. to ask for donations this year.

No better time than the present to consider the upcoming Military Child Month and Purple it up in April, with April 15, the day we celebrate our military children! This is the time to get your proclamations off to your city officials and make it official in your community and then brag about it around the community, Legion posts and units! Get your Purple on in April! More information to come.

Visit alaforveterans.org and ALA Facebook page and get inspired! Super good stuff!