SONS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION

DETACHMENT OF NEW JERSEY

Children and Youth Commission

DATE: 20 March 2022

RE: Children and Youth Commission Report, March 2022

The Children and Youth Commission has the following to report as of the above date for the Detachment meeting held on 26 March 2022:

• The four standing committees (COTA, CWF, Special Olympics, and Young Citizens Award) will be presenting their own individual reports at the Detachment March Meeting as normal.
• The Commissioner has attended two monthly zoom meetings (7 February and 7 March) since the last Detachment meeting with the National Children and Youth Committee, keeping up-to-speed on events at a national level with the intention to push those national programs at the state-level. A push at the National Convention is to, at the Children and Youth Academy, complete for the young SAL attendees the Ten Ideals Program, presenting the young members the medal at the Convention. NJ should push this as well.
• The commission continues to maintain a correspondence with Chairman Jackson, C and Y from the Department, in an effort to prioritize the same programs across the Legion Family.
• At the behest of PDC Nick Wingler, Special Olympics chair, the Commission will be endorsing a resident from Monmouth County an award for commitment to children and youth programs for 2022 given by the detachment
• The program that Children and Youth is running wherein we have purchased over $500 of Girl Scout cookies to distribute to VA homes is due to be run and completed by the middle of April. Two different troops have volunteered to take part, delivering cookies to the Lyons and South Orange facilities. Unfortunately, those facilities are still are under COVID lockdown, so the cookies can’t be given directly to the residents. More details to follow.
• In recognition of April being National Children and Youth Month, the C and Y Commission will be distributing a letter to all DVC’s, DEC’s, county organizations, and squadrons encouraging the SAL in NJ to participate in youth programs this month. The challenge to participate in a youth program could be as simple as making a donation to the three committees through the Detachment, or can expand to creating and executing a program that benefits local kids. This will be available on the website as well.
• The C and Y commission will be providing literature to the squadrons, via the detachment and county officers in the memo above, pushing young SAL involvement. The Ten Ideal Award and the Five Points Award are a good starting point, as this is a great way to recognize those young SAL already involved.

Faithfully submitted “For God and Country”,

 Russell “Rusty” Myers III

Children and Youth Commissioner

Sons of the American Legion, Detachment of New Jersey

862.684.0131

rusty.myers@ymail.com