College Park Unit 217 to Host Baby Shower

By Ivy Christoffers

College Park Unit 217 American Legion Auxiliary will host a “baby shower” on October 4th to benefit the Pregnancy Aid Center of Greenbelt. This worthy community project lends support and assistance to local pregnant women and young mothers. There is a great need for infant items of all kinds, including formula, and for clothing and other necessities for toddlers. With winter fast approaching, warm mittens, hats, sweaters, shoes and other warm clothing is a major priority. If you would like to contribute to this project, you may make a donation of goods or monies and drop it off at the Post Home at 9218 Baltimore Avenue, College Park. We are hoping to make a sizable contribution to the Pregnancy Aid Center. We first became aware of this community program in 2004 and have made it a priority in our community outreach as it does focus on our children, our most precious asset. This baby shower will be held at our regular meeting on the first Tuesday of the month.  

We are coordinating workers for our “Pizza Stand” that we operate during September 2-5 at the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival. This is one of our largest fundraisers held during the year, and it takes many volunteers to make it successful. “Big Fat Daddy” is the sponsor of this event for us and he is known far and wide for his food. We are privileged to have this opportunity to work with him and to help our American Legion Auxiliary raise the funds we need by helping to feed the multitudes. This is my first year to chair this event and it is taking a lot of time, but I am sure it will be worth all the effort in the end. I am leaving soon to attend the National American Legion Auxiliary Convention in Hawaii. I will be an alternate delegate for the Department of Maryland and then will stay over for the LaMarche ofLa Boutique Des Huit Chapeaux Et Quarante Femmes, better known as the 8/40, where I will be a National delegate-at-large. I don’t know how much of the conventionI will attend as this is my first visit to Hawaii and I expect to see some of our 50th state while I am there. Another resident of Beltsville, Sandi Dutton, National President of the American Legion Auxiliary, chairs this National Convention. We wish her a great convention. It might be a good thing that I had some hula lessons at a recent luau Post and Unit 217 hosted for our hospitalized veterans at the Washington VA Nursing Home. They might come in handy in Hawaii, don’t you think?  

Our department Fall Conference will be held in Ocean City, MD on October 7-9 at the Grand Hotel. This is where all the programs of the year are presented, much knowledge is shared and much fellowship enjoyed. I always enjoy this time spent with my friends while soaking up as much information as I can about what we are expected to focus on for the coming year. Are you interested in volunteering some of your time to one or more of our projects that focus on the welfare of our veterans, our youth, or our community? Are you qualified to join the American Legion Auxiliary? Do you know if you are or not? You may already be a member but have lost interest for one reason or another. Give me a chance to rekindle that spark. My telephone number is 301.595.5225. Let’s talk.