The Thom Jenkins VFW Ladies Auxiliary is looking forward to a very busy September.

The organization will be contacting all the local schools to kick off the annual Voice of Democracy and Patriots Pen Contest. Anyone who knows of students in any school who would like to participate can contact Nita Gordon at 878- 3231 or call the post at 878- 3939 and a pamphlet that explains the rules of the contest will be provided.

The Patriots Pen Contest is for students sixth through eighth grades, and the Voice of Democracy (VOD) is for high school students. The theme for Patriots Pen is "Does Patriotism still Matter?" The VOD theme is "Does My Generation Have a Role in America's Future?" The goals of these programs are to foster patriotism in schools, build relationships with educators and communities and provide scholarships for the youth and to educate the public on the value of the VFW and its ladies auxiliary.

The auxiliary will be joined by the veterans and the men’s auxiliary of VFW Post 9454 for its 9/11 ceremony in the park this year. The community is invited to come and light a candle for those who lost their lives on 9/11. Refreshments will be served at 6 p.m., and the ceremony will start at 7 p.m.

On Sept. 17, the group will be traveling to Castle AFB to take part in the annual POW/MIA ceremonies. There will be visiting dignitaries and the public is invited.

The auxiliary annually hosts a Santa Shop for the students of the Greeley Hill/Coulterville Elementary School. With the help of the veterans and the men’s auxiliary, they are able to have enough gifts for each and every one of the kids to be able to shop for gifts to give to their family.

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, David Rodriquez who is a veteran of the Special Forces has volunteered to cook a meal of his chili Colorado with the proceeds going to the Santa Shop fund.

Every Wednesday at 6 p.m. the VFW post has a dinner open to the public with a varied menu for just $6. Food is served until it’s all gone so it is recommended that diners come early and enjoy a meal.