National President Sharon Conatser will be honored at American Legion Auxiliary Unit 180 March 8, during a stopover, in her year-long, nationwide tour to call on community members. Conatser will have the opportunity to learn about veteran support efforts in Great Bend such as the Golden Belt Quilts of Valor program.
“Our freedom, families and country, are just few things that our veterans have given to us. One of the things we do for our veterans, acknowledging their many sacrifices, is a quilt presentation. Golden Belt Quilts of Valor presents each veteran with a quilt made personally for them. On the last Friday of every month, we have a dinner service, giving a little history in our ‘guess who the veteran is’ style of introduction for each veteran we are honoring with a quilt that evening.” Argonne Unit 180 works in succession with Golden Belt Quilts of Valor to facilitate these presentations.
During her visit, the leader of America’s largest women’s patriotic service organization will join Unit 180 for a luncheon to be held in her honor from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at American Legion Post 180, 1011 Kansas Ave. Lunch can be purchased by all interested individuals for $8. American Legion Family members and members of the community are invited to come out to “meet & greet” National President Sharon Conatser has to say when she visits the post.
Sharon Conatser, of Champaign, Ill., was elected national president of the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) during the organization’s 95th National Convention in August 2015. Conatser, a lifetime member, joined the American Legion Auxiliary through her father Clay Lofton, an Army veteran who served in World War II and the Korean War. She is also eligible though her son, Rick Malloch, a Desert Storm veteran, and her husband, Marty Conatser, a Vietnam-Era veteran and past national commander of The American Legion. Conatser is the first national president who is also a former First Lady of The American Legion.
American Legion Auxiliary members have dedicated themselves for nearly a century to meeting the needs of our nation’s veterans, military and their families both here and abroad. They volunteer millions of hours yearly, with a value of more than $3.1 billion. As part of the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization, Auxiliary volunteers across the country also step up to honor veterans and military through annual scholarships and with ALA Girls State programs, teaching high school juniors to be leaders grounded in patriotism and Americanism. To learn more about the Auxiliary’s mission or to volunteer, donate or join, visit www.ALAforVeterans.org.