VFW7108Auxiliary

08/25/2026

It's Meet Your National Line Officers Monday!

Sandra Uzell was elected to the office of National Junior Vice-President of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) Auxiliary at its 113th National Convention in Reno, Nevada.

A Life Member of Auxiliary 7536 in Ohio, which is named after her father, she joined on the eligibility of her husband, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Navy. Uzell has served the organization in many capacities, including Auxiliary, County, District and Department President. On the National level she has served as National Council Member Area D, National Color Bearer, National Sponsorship Committee Chairman, Audit Committee Member and more.

Uzell holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and was a registered nurse. In addition, she holds a hot air balloon pilot license, is a professionally trained clown, balloon decorator and floral designer. In her spare time, she enjoys Broadway musicals, Sudoku and spending time with her family.

Learn more about Junior Vice-President Uzell from her complete bio, available in MALTA under Member Resources - National Line Officer/Positions Biographies.

08/24/2026

08/24/2026

Thank You! 🎨❤️

A huge thank you to everyone who came out for the painting class at VFW Post 8541! We had such a wonderful time filled with lots of laughs, creativity, and great fellowship.

A special thank you to Sara Begley for being such a great host and making everyone feel welcome!

Thank you also to District 20 Sr. Vice Mike Torino and his wife for joining us, and to Post 76 Commander Monica Morris, Post 76 Surgeon Keo and past District 20 Auxiliary President Sally Jarret for coming out and painting with us.

It was a great group, and we had an absolute blast! 🎨😂❤️

Thank you all for making it such a fun and memorable day! 🇺🇸

08/23/2026

At VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters, we've received a number of questions about our Scholarships and Programs, one of which keeps coming up: "Why can't I find information about Illustrating America under Scholarships in MALTA or on the VFW Auxiliary website?"

The answer is... it's not a scholarship! Illustrating America is a contest for students in grades K-8. The top three National winners in each grade category (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) are each awarded a gift card, not a scholarship, and this contest was created in 2019-2020 by the then-National Youth Activities Ambassador, therefore, information about it can be found under Youth Activities.

We admit, this can be confusing - especially because both of our art scholarships have "contest" in the name, and because the VFW's Patriot's Pen is an "annual youth essay contest," according to their description, but we report all three of those under Scholarships, along with Continuing Education and the VFW Voice of Democracy.

But it may help to remember that Illustrating America is the only one of these contests that allows kindergarten through fifth graders to enter, and, unlike their teen and tween siblings, these kiddos aren't looking all the way ahead to college yet.

Find more about Illustrating America and our other Youth Activities initiatives and activities here: https://vfwauxiliary.org/what-we-do/youth-activities/

Find all you need to know about Scholarships here: https://vfwauxiliary.org/what-we-do/scholarships-2/

We hope this helps!

08/23/2026

At VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters, we have received a number of questions recently about VFW and VFW Auxiliary scholarships and contests. There is some confusion about which scholarships and contests "belong" to which organization, so we've created this quick, handy guide to help keep it all straight!

VFW Auxiliary scholarships for high school students include the Young American Patriotic Art Contest and 3-Dimensional Art Contest. Find more information about these on our website, here: https://vfwauxiliary.org/what-we-do/scholarships-2/

The VFW Auxiliary Continuing Education Scholarship for members and their immediate family can be found here: https://vfwauxiliary.org/scholarships/continuing-education/

The VFW Auxiliary's Illustrating America contest is for students in grades K-8. Find more, including submission forms, here: https://vfwauxiliary.org/what-we-do/youth-activities/

While we do promote the Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen as part of our Scholarships Program, these are VFW scholarships. If you have questions about them, please reach out to them directly. You can find this year's theme and submission information, including a guide to finding local Posts, on their website, here: https://www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/youth-scholarships

The VFW's "Sport Clips Help a Hero Scholarship" information can also be found on their website, here: https://www.vfw.org/assistance/student-veterans-support

Learn more about the Smart-Maher Teacher of the Year contest, sponsored by the VFW, here: https://www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/teacher-of-the-year

We hope this helps! Thank you for promoting these incredible opportunities.

08/22/2026

We love to highlight our veterans online and in VFW Auxiliary Magazine, and our My Veteran feature is ideal for introducing the membership to those veterans who are special to our members!

To submit a My Veteran suggestion, please use the template under Member Resources – Miscellaneous behind MALTA Member Login. If selected, we will also need 3-5 photos at least 1MB in size.

08/22/2026

This week's From the Archives Friday isn't about OUR archives... it's about YOURS!

Back in June, Department of Illinois Historian Cathy Sullivan posted a photo of the 2026 Podium Edition: Bylaws & Ritual to Facebook and asked members, "Who has the oldest version of a Podium Edition Bylaws and Ritual book?"

The post received more than 60 comments, with many members adding photos of the oldest Podium Books in their possession.

Past National President Dixie Hild shared that she has one from 1948 - nearly 80 years ago! - while Terry Dalton Adams shared a picture of a well-worn, oft-used edition from 1986. Pat McDowall Martyn showed off her 1953 version, which had belonged to her mom and Betty Jo Bryant said she's saved every single one since 1982. Sullivan herself shared this photo of several, including a Booklet of Instruction from 1938, that were given to her by VFW National Historian Bobby Welch - what fun finds!

To prevent spam and scams, we are no longer able to allow the posting of photos in the comments on this page, but we'd love to know what old Podium Books, Ritual books and Booklets of Instruction you or your Auxiliary are holding onto and why. Was it from the year you joined the VFW Auxiliary? Did it belong to a beloved relative? Did you find it at a thrift store for a quarter?

Let us know in the comments!