The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 354 of Pleaseant Dale met in both April and May.
President Kathy Ptacek opened each meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the Star-Spangled Banner, a prayer, and the reciting of the Preamble.
Fifteen members were present at each meeting.
Secretary Report: The minutes were approved.
Treasurer Reports: Bills were presented for shipping the History Book to the Department Convention, popcorn for the concession stand, award folders for high school honors awards, prizes for the poster and essay competitions, and study snacks for the UNL Military and Veteran Success Center.
Donations were made to the Unit by the winners of the books and centerpiece entries at District Convention.
Department Convention: The convention will be June 25 – 28 in Columbus. Rooms should be booked by June 1.
Silent Auction of baskets donated by Districts will raise funds for Auxiliary Emergency Fund.
Membership: 109 P Dale Unit members are listed on the National website.
Americanism: A Memorial Day display in the Heyen Tax window in Milford is being assembled by Joyce Forst and friends.
Juniors will present the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language and distribute poppies at the cemeteries on Memorial Day.
Lunch for the community, the bands, and the Legion was to be held at the Legion Hall on May 25.
Linda Anderson gathered snacks and toiletries from members to be shipped to our troops in Iran. One of our Legion members is currently serving there and his wife was able to arrange military shipment.
Anderson gave flag presentations to the Malcolm first graders on April 16 and gave each teacher a book about why we say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Essay contest awards were delivered.
Celebrations: May is Poppy month. A Poppy Tea was held on April 25. Fun was had by all who attended and a second annual Poppy Tea is being considered.
Pleasant Dale Community Day will be on June 27. The ALA will celebrate our country’s 250th birthday that day. Members would like to gather photos of vets in the community to create a photo “Parade of Patriots.”
Juniors: The Juniors delivered Easter cards and gifts to the Veterans at Milford Meadows.
Juniors created poppies and decorations for the Poppy Tea and the Legion Breakfast.
Girls State, May 31 – June 6: Plastic grocery bags will be collected again this year to create mats that will be donated. The 2026 attendees will report at the July Unit meeting. The 2025 attendees will be contacted re: reading Flanders Field on Memorial Day.
Education: Klintworth Scholarship winners were Mikiah Witzel, Malcolm, Alaina Wilcox, Malcolm, and Kylie Svoboda, Milford.
Our Unit Scholarship winners were Paige Westerbuhr, Malcolm, and Kayla Wilken, Milford.
Anderson delivered study snacks to the UNL Military and Veteran Success Center.
Concessions: A $250 grant from Thrivent was received. Games are on! Both Pleasant Dale and Denton are playing in Pleasant Dale.
Please reach out to Linda A, Deb, or Erin if you are curious about dates when concession workers are needed.
Raquel Sweeney, Erin Jurgens, and Nancy Smith will play or sing the National Anthem before the games. Please reach out to Raquel or Erin if you would like to participate with the speaker or the microphone.
The nacho machine needs to be replaced.
Leadership: The following slate of officers was elected: President Kathryn Ptacek, Vice President Susan Spieker, Secretary JoAnn Sieck, Treasurer Rose Wiechert, Historian Erin Jurgens, Chaplain Cheryl Witzel and Sergeant at Arms Susan Fortune. Installation will be conducted at the June meeting.
Announcements: Susan Spieker submitted the nomination of JoAnn Sieck for the Department Step Up Award.
As part of the “Quilt Across Nebraska – America 250” celebration, the Nebraska Prairie Museum in Holdrege will hold a patriotic and veteran quilt exhibition in June and July.
The quilt museum in Winterset, Iowa, is hosting a poppy-themed quilt display through July 5. On June 6, quilts will be displayed from balconies throughout the town of Winterset.
Erin is definitely interested in visiting one or both of these locations. Please contact her if interested.
The Food Bus will visit Pleasant Dale from 2 to 3 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month through November. The bus will park near the Methodist Church. Fresh meats and produce, as well as dry goods will be available. If you or a neighbor are interested, but not available at that time, a proxy can pick up food for another person.
Correspondence: Sympathy to Kathy Eberly for the loss of her mother, Leora Baack; healing wishes to Vera Ficke, Jerry Allen and Kathy Nowotny; birthday wishes to Sue Imig
Each meeting was closed with a prayer.
The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, at 6 p.m. at Pizza Kitchen. If you plan to attend let JoAnn know by June 15.
