The American Legion will observe Children & Youth Month during April, Commander Robert I. Winkel of Burhan Hagedon Post 197 in Harbor Beach announced today. Participating with Post 197 in this observance will be members of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 197.
The observance in Harbor Beach will be one of many throughout the Nation as over 13,700 Legion Post and over 9,500 Auxiliary Units plan special events to emphasize the Legion’s continuing concern for the well being of the Country’s children and youth.
For more than eighty years, The American Legion and its affiliate organizations have donated countless hours of volunteer effort and millions of dollars in support of programs and activities for the benefit of children and youth, Commander Winkel reported. Since the beginning of the programs in 1926, The American Legion and its affiliates have reported expenditures of over one half billion dollars.
The National theme of The American Legion’s Children and Youth Month is “Children……….Our Most Precious Natural Resource.” Over the years, the Legion has developed many programs to serve the youth of this Nation. By providing a solid foundation and adequate opportunities for children to realize their future, we are helping to ensure our own.
Commander Winkel listed three major areas of concern on which the American Legion is focusing its attention on a national basis: Child Health, Child Safety, and Family Support.
Locally, The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary have made meaningful contributions to the well being of the children and youth of Harbor Beach through programs and endeavors such as Harbor Beach and American Legion Downhill Cart Derby, Flag etiquette programs at local schools and at Cub Scouts meetings, scholarship programs, and by sponsoring Little League Baseball.