Ann Yamrus, of Cameron, a member of the John Boyd Auxiliary No. 7318, attended the 96th National Convention of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the U.S. held in August at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Ariz.

The convention marks the beginning of her two-year term on the National Council of Administration which governs the Auxiliary between national conventions.

A highlight of the convention was the announcement of the outstanding department presidents in the 11 membership groups at the National President's Luncheon followed by the presentation of the Ladies Auxiliary's national youth scholarship winners.

Other highlights included the opportunity for members to view the eight winning patriotic art entries and Buddy Poppy displays, in addition to attending several joint events with the VFW such as the Patriotic Rally.

During the convention, the national president commended the 3,500 attendees for all their hard work in honoring veterans and supporting deployed military personnel and their families. Members have spent millions of dollars and volunteer hours helping the heroes of this country.

The national president also thanked members for volunteering 1.5 million hours in the nation's hospitals, raising $2,601,753 for the organization's Cancer Aid and Research Fund, and donating $275,637 for Operation Uplink to provide long-distance telephone cards to troops and hospitalized veterans.

Thousands of dollars have been donated to cancer research facilities across the country. National President Dixie Hild sent funds to the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, Fisher House Foundation, The Lakeshore Foundation, Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles, The Highground Veterans Memorial Park and other organizations across the country.

To learn more about the 550,000-member organization, visit www.ladiesauxvfw.org.