The American Legion Auxiliary Department of West Virginia held its annual fall workshop on Friday evening, September 12 and Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Hilton Garden Inn, Clarksburg. Auxiliary members represented West Virginia’s 63 Auxiliary Units from its 6 Districts.
Friday was an evening of fun for local and visiting auxiliary junior and senior members. There was a painting party for the adults and a showing of Moana 1 and 2 for the juniors. The ladies painted pictures of poppies which were later distributed to the VA Hospitals throughout the state.
The Saturday session began with welcoming remarks from Department President, Kim Mellie, followed by the opening prayer, the “Pledge of Allegiance”, the “Star Spangled Banner” and the “Preamble to the American Legion Auxiliary Constitution” and “Mission Statement”. The Children’s Table Ceremony was conducted by Junior members and Patsy Greiner and the POW/MIA Ceremony was conducted by Department Chaplain, Rebecca Farley.
Jay Trickett and his dog, Pearl, from the Warrior Project Pearl was the keynote speaker. Warrior Project Pearl connects Veterans with sporting dogs and field training programs to provide purpose and direction for veterans battling PTSD as a token of gratitude for their service. This was followed by a presentation on the Honor Flight Hub.
Department President Kim Mellie spoke to the ladies about her theme for the 2025-2026 Auxiliary Year, OHANA, which means family. And family means no one gets left behind or forgotten—especially the brave men and women who fought for our freedom. The colors for the year are coral, (a mixture of red and yellow) & tropical colors (red, yellow, blue, green, purple) while the president’s flowers are the Poppy and the Dandelion. The membership theme for the year is, “Our Mission Matters to Navigate Life’s Waters”.
The topics of discussion for the session were program engagement plans and writing reports.
Attendees were reminded to think of membership as a team effort for our department. Some units struggle and some flourish. On the department level, those units who flourish will be helping the department reach goal (4,923 members state-wide).
After a question-and-answer period, the day concluded with a purse auction named in honor of Past Department President, Betty Rea, with the proceeds going to President Kim’s special projects.
During the regular meeting time of the American Legion Auxiliary the American Legion Auxiliary Junior members were holding their own workshop. They learn more about their membership in the American Legion Auxiliary and create their own projects for the Auxiliary Year.
