American Legion Auxiliary Pacific Beach Unit 552 will be installed as an official unit of District 22 during a ceremony June 14 at 6 p.m., at the Turquoise Street VFW Post, 853 Turquoise St. Unit 552 was informally established in March, has seen a steady increase in membership since then and its members are excited to announce its support of several important programs and its first special event. The initial focus of the auxiliary is to help Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) make its 2010 Stand Down successful. A three-day event, Stand Down provides hundreds of veterans and their families with a wide range of necessities including food, clothing, haircuts, showers, toiletries, official IDs, medical/dental care, counseling and other needed services. Stand Down is scheduled for July 16 to 18 on the grounds of San Diego High School. The Pacific Beach Auxiliary is currently collecting new socks for men, women and children to donate to Stand Down. Donations of new socks can be made at the VFW Post. Auxiliary members will also be volunteering on site at Stand Down. If you’d like to donate used items, VVSD is having a clothing drive-by at 4141 Pacific Highway from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 18. The auxiliary is also supporting the Spinoza Bear program. This ongoing program, which works with Ronald McDonald House, collects money to purchase special talking bears that are donated to terminally-ill children of veterans. Parents can record their voices on the bears so that children always have their loved ones’ voices nearby during hospital stays or long-term treatments. Unit 552 purchases a new bear each time enough money is raised. Donations are accepted at the post. The auxiliary will also honor fathers during a special breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon on Father’s Day, June 20 at the Turquoise Street post. Open to the public, admission is $6 per person and free for those veterans who are also fathers. For more information about the auxiliary, or to find out ways to help American Legion Auxiliary Pacific Beach Unit 552 make a difference in the lives of local veterans and their families, call the Post at (858) 488-3631 or Unit 552 President Ketra Slayton at (619) 888-9843. The American Legion Auxiliary (www.legion-aux.org) was formed in 1919 to support the American Legion. With almost a million female members from all walks of life, the auxiliary administers hundreds of volunteer programs, gives tens of thousands of hours to its communities and to veterans, and raises millions of dollars to support its own programs as well as other worthwhile charities familiar to most Americans. The mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to serve veterans, their families and their communities. It is the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization with nearly 10,500 units.
