Ladies aux. past national president attends convention

Past national president Glenneta Vogelsang of Cape Girardeau participated in the 93rd National Convention of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars held recently in Reno, Nev.

About 3,500 attended the event at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

Vogelsang is a member of Clippard, Wilson, Taylor Auxiliary 3838. She will serve as a member of the 2006-2007 national budget committee.

The national group achieved its top goal this year, reaching $446,669 needed to make the fund for the National Young American Creative Patriotic Art Scholarships self-sustaining.

National winners of the patriotic art, junior girls and outstanding young volunteer of the year contests were introduced and honored.

National president Sandy Germany thanked members for volunteering 1.4 million hours in the nation's hospitals, raising $2,980,620 for cancer aid and research and donating $284,723 to provide long distance telephone cards to troops and hospitalized veterans.

Special donations presented included $25,000 to the University of Florida Shands Cancer Center, Gainesville, Fla.; $20,000 to MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston; $20,000 Pediatric Oncology Department, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, D.C.; $5,000 to the University of Nevada, Reno; $5,000 Parents and Children Fighting Cancer, Washington, D.C.; $8,000 to National Arthritis Foundation, Atlanta; $7,500 to Liver Transplant Program, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Neb.; $5,000 to Hope Lodge, Baltimore; $2,000 to "I Am An American" Memorial, Idaho.

At the convention, items were collected for troops. To date, 1,600 care packages have been shipped from national headquarters in addition to tens of thousands of packages shipped by individual posts and ladies auxiliaries.

National officers were elected and installed including president Linda Meader, life member of Concord Auxiliary 1631, Concord, N.H.