Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary national president Cortina Barnes spent the weekend in Chattanooga, where she thanked local auxiliary members for efforts on behalf of Tennessee's veterans.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary representatives for Tennessee and Chattanooga gather at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to welcome the organization's national president. From left are Post 1289 president Jo Thomas, state department senior vice president Verna Inman, national president Cortina Barnes, state department chief of staff Mary Anne Wilson and state membership chair Donna Stewart."This organization is all about the local members - they are the ones who raise all the money for our projects and grants," Barnes said. "I'm kind of an ambassador going around and saying thank you for what these ladies do."
Barnes is from the District of Columbia. During her first trip to Chattanooga, local Wilkes T. Thrasher Post 4848 and Lee Highway Post 1289 members took Barnes on a grand tour that included the Chattanooga Choo Choo, Southern Belle, Coolidge Park and other activities around the city.
The Tennessee Ladies Auxiliary is extremely active throughout the state, with 6,414 members.
The members have raised $30,000 for cancer aid and research and $40,000 for the Mini Pearl Foundation in four years.
Participants of the organization have spent $555,654 on community projects while logging 475,313 hours of community service including 117,640 hours spent aiding veterans through Ladies Auxiliary programs during this fiscal year.
For more information on the Ladies Auxiliary visit www.ladiesauxvfw.org.