The Bristow VFW Auxiliary serves and supports veterans and their families as well as our community. Members are encouraged to serve as a group, with other groups, and as individuals in any capacity that honors the lives, sacrifices, and commitments of our veterans who selflessly served. In that vein, members of the Bristow VFW Auxiliary served veterans and the community for a combined total of 2,293 hours from June 1 to Dec. 31 of 2020.
As a group, Bristow VFW Auxiliary members send cards to 2,000 veterans in residential and hospital facilities for Valentine’s Day and Christmas each year. The Auxiliary also collects toys and donations for children of military families at Christmas. Members organize and collect nonperishable food items as well as cook meals for veterans and individuals in the community throughout the year. In recent months, members began making activity bags filled with toys, crayons & coloring pages, and puzzles for children attending appointments with family at veterans’ medical clinics. The Auxiliary enjoys partnering with organizations committed to serving veterans and the community. Auxiliary members volunteer time and effort with the Bristow Garden Club to clean and maintain flower beds at the Bristow VFW Post and Wake Island Memorial—a partnership all hope will grow and bloom as beautifully as the plants they cultivate together.
As individuals, Auxiliary members serve our community in many capacities. Some of the many ways members serve include volunteering with CASA, contributing to patient advocacy programs, identifying & building resource lists for veterans and community members, collecting and properly disposing of refuse in public parks and community areas, identifying and addressing legislative needs among veterans and the community, aiding families, organizations, and individuals with historical research, checking on and visiting the elderly, disabled, and veterans within the community, sewing pillow cases for children in the hospital with church groups, and creating community outreach opportunities for residents of nursing facilities, children, and veterans. Looking ahead, the Bristow VFW Auxiliary is exploring several new projects to interface with and serve the community through fun events, educational opportunities, and fundraisers benefitting veterans and the community. The Auxiliary also hopes to create or bring a variety of new opportunities and resources for veterans to the community in the future.
The Auxiliary meets at the VFW Post 3656 and Wake Island Memorial the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.; however, cancellations due to COVID-19 do sometimes occur. If you want more information about the Auxiliary or your relative has served in a foreign conflict and you are interested in joining and serving with the VFW Auxiliary at vfw3656auxiliary@gmail.com to request information.