NALPA NEWSLETTER
The Official Newsletter of the National American Legion Press Association | Summer 2019 Issue
What’s Coming National Convention If your post has someone attending this year’s 101st National Convention in Indianapolis, use this opportunity to promote The American Legion’s influence in your community and nationwide. Highlight the activities on your post’s social media pages and don’t forget to contact your local media for a story.
The American Legion National Headquarters building in Indianapolis. Photo by Clay Lomneth
A TIME OF TRANSITION By Micheal Patty, Interim NALPA president
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reetings to all American Legion Family journalists and media proletarians. I wish to thank Michael Hjelmstad for his service as National American Legion Press Association (NALPA) president and wish him well in all his future endeavors with The American Legion. I appreciate the opportunity to serve as your NALPA interim president and look forward to fulfilling the obligations of the office you have entrusted to me. I am eager to take on the tasks at hand, however, I will need the support of every member and those entrusted as leaders of NALPA. These are exciting times we live in. Our organization is in transition working toward delivery of multimedia services to all our veterans and extended communities. We are moving forward, relocating our organization from New York to Indianapolis, home of The American Legion National Headquarters. This change will lead to a stronger working relationship with National. Changing our location, or updating our moniker, will bring us more visibility and focus of our energy.
Over the past few years many monumental changes in the area of communications have evolved. Communication has grown from a simple face-to-face conversation, to newsprint, to multimedia such as FaceTime on a mobile screen with family and friends anywhere around the world. NALPA is poised to be the facilitator of these new technologies through publications such as the “NALPA Tips and Tricks” guide, found online at www.legion.org/nalpa/resources, and multimedia programs. NALPA and our corresponding department associations are the voice of veterans in The American Legion. We communicate with our members via post bulletins, websites and social media. The membership in turn communicates to their elected officials from the local levels all the way to our nation’s capital. This is communicating, the act of sending and receiving information, which is at the heart of our association. Our annual awards contest will reward those who demonstrate a high-level of communication to their audience. Congratulations to this See A time of transition on Page 3
Follow convention coverage online at www.legion.org/ convention, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ americanlegionhq, and on Twitter at https://twitter. com/AmericanLegion. Use the hashtag #ALconv2019.
Patriotic events in September There are several patriotic days designated in September – Patriot Day, Sept. 11; POW-MIA Recognition Day, Sept. 20; and Gold Star Mother’s Day, Sept. 29. Use social media to show how your post is honoring these holidays and share a story on www.legiontown.org.
September is suicide awareness month Since September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, it is a good opportunity to remind veterans and their loved ones that VA offers resources to those at risk. Call 800-273-8255, press 1. Or send a text message to 838255.