South Dakota Human Services Center
For immediate release - 12/03
Contact: Lois Halbur PH: 605-668-3294 or 3100

ALA SUPPORTS VETERANS FOR PAST SERVICE

(Yankton) Many people have been sending holiday packages to veterans serving in the military this year.  For many years the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) has been helping veterans hospitalized for the holidays send Christmas presents to their loved ones at home. 

Joyce List of Yankton serves as the State Department Gift Shop Chairman for ALA, serving the Human Services Center (HSC). It is Joyce’s responsibility to recruit volunteers, collect donated gifts from other ALA units, set-up the gifts, and coordinate all the selection, wrapping and mailing.  List is no newcomer to this role.  She has efficiently been serving in this volunteer role for the past six years.    

List worked closely with Tara Gill, HSC Volunteer Coordinator, to obtain the names, ages and mailing addresses of their loved ones from veterans hospitalized at HSC.  The ALA volunteers then set up tables with gifts and helped the hospitalized veterans choose gifts for their loved ones.  “The veterans select the gifts of their choice, and have the gifts wrapped and mailed to their family, all at no cost to the veteran or their family.  The ALA covers all expenses,” List said.

The Veterans Gift Shop was held on Monday, December 1, 2003 at HSC.  Shirley Baker, District 7 President from Pickstown, and Irene Sears, State ALA Department President from Rapid City, were also in Yankton to attend and assist with the Yankton ALA Veterans Gift Shop.  “The ALA provides the Veterans Gift Shop at five locations across the state.  We serve Fort Meade, the Host Springs VA, the Hot Springs State Home, the VA Center in Sioux Falls, and HSC here in Yankton.  Last year we served 2,300 veterans and provided thousands of gifts for veterans hospitalized across the state,” Sears said.    

“The goal of the Auxiliary is to increase awareness for patriotism and to show respect, love and honor to veterans.  The Veterans Gift Shop is one way to accomplish that goal during the holiday season,” Sears said.  “We do this because we want to.  It is so important to us to honor those who served in the military.”

While the volunteers agreed that they participate to give back to the veterans who served our country, they also note that the Veterans Gift Shop is a nice way to begin the holiday season.  “The Auxiliary volunteers willingly help with this gift shop.  There is always a nice variety of gifts donated for veterans to choose from.  The Auxiliary members enjoy seeing the veterans find just the right gift for their loved ones,” List said.

The volunteers reminisced about the extra special moments from past Veterans Gift Shops.  There was an especially sick veteran hospitalized in a medical facility.  The ALA volunteers, as well as one of his family members, helped him select the gifts for his loved ones.  The next day he died.  The family was so pleased to receive those gifts.  They said they would always remember what his last gifts to them were,” Sears said.  

“A couple of years ago after Christmas, we received a card from the sister of a veteran.  She wrote that the veteran had little or no contact with his family for years.  He was able to be home for Christmas that year and was able to actually present the gifts that he had selected for each family member.  She explained that he just cried when gave out the gifts.  He was so glad to be back with his family,” Sears said.

The gift of giving to others can keep on giving.  That was especially evident in one other touching experience for the ALA volunteers.  Several years ago they received a check in the mail for nearly $700.00.  One family, with children now grown, had sent the check as a thank you to the ALA.  They explained that it was to cover the costs over all the years for the gifts that their father had sent to them with the help from the ALA.

The veterans themselves are also remembered by the ALA.  Each veteran who is hospitalized for the holidays receives a special Christmas gift.  They also receive gifts or greetings for Valentines Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and other holidays or special days throughout the year.  Sears personally delivered to hospitalized veterans more than 500 Valentines that were handmade by the American Legion Auxiliary Juniors.  The ALA Juniors are those under age 18 who meet the criteria for membership.  When they turn age 18, ALA Juniors can become ALA members to keep going the spirit of service to those who have served our country’s armed forces.          

PHOTO: (Pictured left to right)

Tara Gill, South Dakota Human Services Center Volunteer Coordinator; Joyce List, State Department Gift Shop Chairman for American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) serving the Human Services Center – Yankton; Shirley Baker, ALA District 7 President from Pickstown; and Irene Sears, State ALA Department President from Rapid City, and 20 ALA volunteers participated in the Veterans Gift Shop.  The event, held on December 1^st at HSC, allowed veterans hospitalized at HSC to select the gifts of their choice for their loved ones.  The gifts were wrapped and mailed by the members of the ALA to the veterans’ families at no cost to the veteran or their family.  

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