American Legion Auxiliary member Trish Ward has a unique passion for Constitution & Bylaws. She loves getting into the details, language, and rules of the ALA. But more than that, she believes in the importance of strong governance for the ways it allows others to focus on the ALA’s mission of serving veterans, military, and their families. 

“If we can demonstrate knowledge of the rules and abide by them, then we don’t have to spend our time on things that don’t matter,” Trish said. 

“If the rules are strong, then we can spend all of our time on our mission, on supporting veterans.”

That love of time management and efficiency is just one reason Trish started a monthly gift to the American Legion Auxiliary Foundation. 

“It’s just easier to have it automatically trigger every month,” Trish said. “I don’t have to worry about it, and I can feel like I’m contributing to this organization from a financial perspective.”

In addition to convenience, monthly giving is a way that Trish gives back to the organization that has helped her, a way she honors her veteran family members, and a way to support programs across the country that she would otherwise never have the time or opportunity to contribute to. 

Trish joined the Auxiliary in 2000, shortly after she moved from Los Angeles to the small town of Louisburg, Kan. As a new small business owner, she wanted to get more involved in her brand-new community. 

As the years passed, Trish’s involvement in the ALA grew, and she was able to receive various personal development opportunities through the leadership positions she held. Today, she’s the national Children & Youth Committee chairman.

“There was a real opportunity for me in self-growth, in learning how to be a good leader,” Trish said.

It wasn’t her initial goal to become a leader in this organization, she said. She just kept saying “yes” to serve where it was most needed. She did it to honor the veterans in her family, like her father, who said “yes” to his military service.

“My father passed away when I was 23, and I started thinking about what I could do in my life that would honor him and make him proud,” she said.

Trish sees her monthly gift as an extension of her service with the American Legion Auxiliary — a way for her to touch the lives of even more heroic servicemembers. 

“I can’t give a scholarship to a young person, I don’t have the time to organize a Veterans Creative Arts Festival grant, but I can give the ALA Foundation the money, and the organization will be a good steward of my money and they will give it to the place that I want it to go,” Trish said. 

Trish believes that impacting veterans at the grassroots level and supporting members across the country will make all the difference for the future of this organization, and a gift to the ALA Foundation can do just that. 

You can build a better future by starting a monthly gift and becoming a Hero Giving Hope to veterans, military, and their families. Get started today at www.ALAforVeterans.org/monthly-gifts.