Missouri and Wisconsin bring Halloween fun to the National Home

Ghosts and ghouls, super heroes and fairy godmothers… Wait! Was that Hannah Montana who just walked by?

You never know who you’re going to meet during the Missouri-Wisconsin Fall Festival at the VFW National Home for Children.

With prizes for the top costumes in each age bracket, from preschool to adults, everyone comes looking their best. The competition is fierce, and the judges must decide their favorites under immense pressure. As you can see, it’s no easy task!

Win or lose, everyone has a great time at this annual event, which also includes a lunch of bratwursts and pizza, face painting, carnival games and, of course, candy.

View more photos from the Missouri-Wisconsin Fall Festival.

New duplex means we can help even more military and veteran families

The newest duplex on the VFW National Home for Children campus was officially opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony under bright blue skies Saturday morning. The two new homes, the Air Force House and the Air National Guard House were constructed with funds donated by James B. Logg, a veteran of both the Air Force and Air National Guard and a strong supporter of veteran family causes.

It is the first time an individual has funded the construction of a home on the National Home campus.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by local and national dignitaries who showed their commitment to our nation’s veterans and their families. Attendees included Veterans of Foreign Wars Jr. Vice Commander in Chief William “Bill” Thien, Ladies Auxiliary Sr. Vice President Leanne Lemley and Military Order of the Cooties Supreme Commander Joe McCullough, as well as Department leaders from the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary.

The Air Force House and the Air National Guard House will accommodate participants in our Military Family, Veteran Family and Single-Parent Family programs.

Each side of the 2400-square foot duplex includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Both units are ADA compliant. Maintenance and upkeep of the Air Force House will be sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Europe while the Military Order of the Cootie Grand of Florida and its Auxiliary will sponsor the upkeep of the Air National Guard House.

Read the Lansing State Journal’s coverage of the dedication.

View more photos from the dedication.

Illinois Day brings fall fun to the National Home

VFW and Ladies Auxiliary members by the busload and carload descended on the National Home for the annual Illinois Day celebration on Saturday.This year was extra special for Illinois, in light of the fact that the 2011-2012 Buddy Poppy Child, Kristina hails from Chicago. She was greeted with extra cheers from the crowd when she delivered her speech during the event.

As part of the annual celebration, visitors had the chance to check out the two Illinois houses as well as several other campus buildings before heading inside the Community Center, where they enjoyed ice cream and popcorn in the cafe, carnival games in the auditorium and lunch in the gym. After lunch, they were treated to a performance by the National Home Chorus and heard updates from members of the National Home’s management team on current construction projects and other things happening on campus.

For many, it was their first trip to the National Home, and everyone left with a stronger sense of its mission and the important role it plays in helping our nation’s military and veteran families.

View photos of Illinois Day on our Flickr page.