Canaday honored at conference

Posted: Friday, March 4, 2011 8:01 pm

Tennessee’s president Kathy Canaday of Union City, a member of Jones-Walker Auxiliary No. 4862, was honored during the National Mid-Year Conference of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, held recently in San Diego.
She is one of 41 state presidents who achieved the goal of 90 percent membership by Dec. 31, 2010. At a special event, national president Cortina Barnes of Virginia honored each with a medallion recognizing her leadership.
The event took place at The Westin, Gaslamp Quarter, in San Diego, with more than 300 members from throughout the country in attendance.
In addition to honoring the state presidents, the purpose of the conference was to discuss the mid-year progress of the ladies auxiliary’s 11 community service programs, such as Veterans and Family Support, the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest and the Hospital and VA Voluntary Service program.
Of particular interest to those who attended was the status of their Cancer Aid and Research fund as members strive to raise more than $3 million for the auxiliary’s fund. Ms. Barnes donated $50,000 to the University of California for breast cancer research at San Diego Moores Cancer Center.
The 550,000 members of the auxiliary nationwide are wives, mothers, daughters and other female relatives of those who have served in the U.S. military overseas during a war or conflict. As when the organization began in 1914, serving veterans continues to be its major goal. Supporting America’s active-duty military personnel by shipping care packages and offering free long-distance calling opportunities are just two  of the ways the organization serves them today.
For information, go to www.ladiesauxvfw.org.

Published in The Messenger 3.4.11