Department of Colorado Auxiliary

 

I want to take a moment to sincerely thank each of you, the auxiliary members, my sisters and brothers of the Department of Colorado VFW Auxiliary, for continuing to support our Veterans, Active Service Members, and their families.  There have been many obstacles to overcome, to get where we are today, but it is the love, passion, and commitment that you all have for our Veterans, Military Members, and their families that give them hope and make our Legislators listen to the issues they face and work towards a solution.  Without you, our voice would not be as mighty as it is, and their plights would go unnoticed. 

 

During the first few months to the start of my year as President, I have been truly grateful for the grace and mentoring that I have received, and I know that we all have struggles that we face in the auxiliary.  With this, I want to remind everyone, that we are all working towards one goal, which is to ensure that our Veterans, Active Military Personnel, and their families are always taken care of and never left behind.  Our goal is one of great importance, especially to them, and it does not do well for conflict to reside among us, when there are much greater issues of importance for us to focus on. 

 

There have already been some issues to address and obstacles to overcome this year, and I am extremely grateful for the absolutely amazing team members that we have in our Department who have stepped up to mentor, support, and help others grow within our Auxiliary.  These members have done absolutely amazing jobs in assisting and mentoring auxiliaries around the state, and helping them to navigate difficult situations, which will only help to make our Department Auxiliary stronger.  The stronger we are together, the more we can accomplish together in taking care of our Veterans, Active Military Personnel, and their families, but we must remember to grant each other grace, understanding, and compassion when difficult situations or conflict arises, or we will fall short of completing our mission to help those who are the heart of our organization.  If there are issues that cannot be resolved or addressed, please reach out to any Department Line Officer, District Officer, or trusted mentor to help with the situation; as we cannot help or offer guidance if an issue is not brought to our attention.

 

Even among the many obstacles that needed to be overcome, the auxiliaries have kept moving forward and started off the year with a bang, and I am amazed with all that has already been accomplished this year.  There have been many exciting events held, more being planned, and it has been absolutely wonderful to see.  I know that we all strive to work on programs throughout the year, and that there are some programs that are closer to our hearts than others, use the passion that you have for a program that you care about to mentor and foster new auxiliary members about that program.  Sharing our passions and strengths, is how we will continue to succeed in all that we do.

 

Those who know me, know that I am passionate about helping others, and making others feel heard about their experiences.  My special project for this year, which is a combined special project with Commander Carol Thomas, focuses on ensuring that those who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Sexual Assault/Harassment, or Domestic Violence have their voices heard and that they have the resources to either begin their journey of healing or continue on their healing journey through the White Ribbon Project and supporting the “Equine-imity” program through the Rocky Mountain VA.  The “Equine-imity” program will help survivors on their healing journey in a non-traditional way.  The format they will use, is similar to how the program is tailored to our Veterans who experience PTSD participate, but it will be focused on how to best help survivors of MST, Sexual Assault/Harassment, and Domestic Violence.  I am very excited to see the implementation of this program in regards to Intimate Partner Violence (IVP), and look forward to seeing the program grow.  To do this, awareness of these issues and information on prevention needs to happen, and in order to do that, we all need to begin with believing the individual, showing compassion to one another, and by educating where we can.  These topics are difficult to speak about, but if we want to see change occur, we must speak out, inform, and educate others about these issues.  I hope you will all join myself and Commander Thomas in bringing awareness to these issues.

 

Trainings, which don’t have to be long, are great ways to get information out about all of the programs.  These can be done in as little as 5 or 10 minutes, and can be done at an auxiliary meeting or joint district meeting.  I have seen some creativity, while visiting the different districts, and if you need ideas on how to do a quick training, reach out to your Department Chairmen or anyone that you may know who has a passion for the program, and don’t forget to report all the hard work that is done for each of these programs.   When we all help each other, we continue to grow in our successes in the organization.

 

I know that we will continue to have a great year, despite any obstacles that we may face, and I am blessed and grateful to be part of the Department of Colorado Auxiliary and know that our organization is full of mentors that can be looked to.  Thank you for all that each of you continue to do, to help our organization become better for our Veterans.

 

Wishing you all a very Blessed Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

 

Warmest Wishes,

Nadia Flores

Department VFW Auxiliary President