It seems like just yesterday that the 2023 ALA Empire Girls State session was in full swing. Take e a look back at the week via this video slideshow.

What an amazing week it has been! Today (like everyday) was a busy one! It kicked off with an inside flag ceremony due to some rain showers, but on Friday at ALA EGS we will take the rain in the morning as long as its nice for our ceremony in the evening!

Appellate Court

The ALA EGS Attorney General heard the case from Earhart County! Attorney General Ava Hartung conducted Appellate court. Participants from a county trial in Earhart County retried a case in which a defendant was sentenced 200 years in prison for an alleged fake ID. The participants showed off their mock trial skills in this court session. Their ability to put together convincing arguments and it was determined that the defendant was not guilty. The entire state celebrated this victory by chalking the sidewalks celebrating that justice prevailed.

Thank you Veterans

Americanism

Today participants had the opportunity to fold flags, learn about their meaning and hear about the pocket flag program. They also learned about the history of the poppy, received information on the Flanders Field poem, and learned how to make a poppy. They also learned about how veterans can earn money making poppies and how tough it is to do when fully able, but that doing it as a disabled veteran is a much different experience.

Governor Appointments

Each year the Governor has the ability to appoint several positions. Citizens write self nominating letters to the governor and read through them and make her decisions. These positions include the following:

Title or Commissioner of	Citizen Name	From
Commissioner Of Criminal Justice	Citizen Carina	Manhasset, NY
Commissioner Of Agriculture	Citizen Sophia	Middleport, NY
Commissioner Of Education	Citizen Elizabeth	Eastchester, NY
Commissioner Of Environmental Conserv.	Citizen Alaina	Erieville, NY
Commissioner Of Technology	Citizen Amy	Southold, NY
Commissioner Of Homeland Security	Citizen Grace	Catskill, NY
Chief of Staff	Citizen Ava	Holmes, NY
Surgeon General	Citizen Kristy	Monroe, NY
Press Secretary	Citizen Jaylene	Rome, NY
State Budget Director	Mary Redmore	Binghamton, NY

How a Bill Becomes a Law…

Usually this part of the week has us humming along to a little school house rocks ditty (that’s not about Jack and Diane) which we know makes us feel old, but it is such a good classic. Here are the bill that the Governor signed at the end of our legislative session and a picture of her Excellency making it happen!

• Juvenile Restoration (Federalist Criminal Justice Committee)
• Industrial Air Filtration Act (Nationalist Environmental Conservation Committee)
• Expansive Education Act (Nationalist Educational Technology Committee)
• GRR -Gun Reform & Regulation (Nationalist Criminal Justice Committee)
• Health Education Certification (H.E.C) Bill (Nationalist Health Committee)

State of the State Ceremony

Our week of learning and fun culminated with the state of the state ceremony. This ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of the week, provided the Governor the opportunity to give her address, provided opportunity for reflection, and allowed friends, families, and attendees a little glimpse of the magic that was the 2023 ALA Empire Girls State Session.

The Long Goodbye…

At ALA Empire Girls State we refer to the last night as one big long goodbye. Citizens stay up talking, signing shirts, eating sooo much pizza, having dance breaks, riding the pony, and so much more. It is a night of transformation as we think about where they started as communities of girls to the sisterhood that they have become. This goodbye continues to check out where we have the checkout area, exhausted citizen sleeping “lounge” and the beloved “hug and cry” area. It has truly been a great week at ALA Empire Girls State.

A Point of Personal Privilege

We ARRRRRRRRREE PR! We are so excited to have shared the week with you our families, auxiliary members and alumnae! It takes a village and we could not have pulled together the content without the support of everyone behind the scenes. We do want to however take a point of personal privilege to give a shout out to our Assistant PR Cam from Ginsburg County. ALA EGS Chairman Kris talked about each citizen having their voice and that each and every citizen was here for a reason. Cam visited the PR team one day early in the week as she looked to find her niche at ALA Empire Girls State and she was hoping to be part of our team in some way. Well some way turned into a big way and we are so proud of the work Cam did to help us, but to go outside of her comfort zone throughout the week to get the best shot, interact with people not in her county to make sure we had an array of pictures. Cam is the epitome of what Kris talked about- Not everyone will be Governor or Party Leader, but every single person here has an equally important role to ensure that the program is successful. We consider ourselves lucky to have Cam’s role be of that in PR. We hope that Cam’s story inspires you to go out and create opportunities for yourselves like she did, because sometimes you have to take a risk along the way. We love you Cam and couldn’t be more proud!

And with that…ALA Empire Girls State 2023 is a wrap! PR OUT!

Thank you for following along, and forgiving our late night early morning typos!
-With full hearts, sleepy eyes, and way less memory on our devices than we came
❤ WE LOVE GIRLS STATE ❤
Carrie & Jen
#WeArePR

The Elected Officials are Sworn in!

After the announcement of the ALA Empire Girls State Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller and Attorney General last night, they got right to work reading all of the bills the ALA EGS citizens wrote in their committees this week. Today during legislative session, the Political Instructors Jaime and Xamayla explained how the bills will be brought to the floor and voted on. The line up for the bills was decided on by the ALA EGS Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller and Attorney General. Each committee chairman will read their bill to the session, and time is given for citizens to ask questions and discuss the bill before it is brought to a vote from the Senate and General Assembly. All of the bills that are passed will be given to the ALA EGS governor to sign or veto before the State of the State Friday. A total of 3 bills have passed and will go to the Governor for her signature.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

With all of the work ALA EGS citizens have been doing between writing bills, elections, speeches, campaigning, legislative session… is there time for fun at ALA Empire Girls State? OH YES THERE IS! Citizens are so excited to meet new people from all over New York State, play games in down time, and even ride the pony! The connections the citizens make with each other is one of the best parts of the ALA Empire Girls State program!

WE LOVE GIRLS STATE!!!!

Honor Flight

ALA Department of New York President Nancy’s project this is Honor Flight. Two members of Honor Flight came to speak to the ALA EGS citizens about the program. Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization which gives veterans the opportunity to visit the National Monuments in Washington,D.C. This helps veterans connect with one another, remember the fallen and share their stories and experiences with other veterans. It is free of charge thanks to the donations they receive. At ALA Empire Girls State. citizens participated in service project in which they made fleece lap blankets for the veterans and wrote cards for them.

Service, Sweets, and Social Networking

Tonight ALA EGS citizens participated in a service project in which they made cards and fleece lap blankets for the veterans on Honor Flight. They also had the opportunity to mingle with each other, staff members, and representatives from Honor Flight, ROTC, and Brockport Admissions to gather information from them. It was an event that was informative and enjoyed by all.

ALA EGS Speaker Series: Caroline Seaberg

“My take away from today’s speaker was to live your life while you can, because anything can happen at anytime”

-ALA EGS Citizen

Caroline Seaberg is a graduate of Saint John Fisher college and a 2022 recipient of the Ten Under 10 Alumni Award as well as a member of the Public Relation Society of America Young Professionals committee. Unhappy in a previous role, Caroline knew she wanted to find a career that would allow her to help her community. With the enthusiasm and skill set for event planning and marketing, she looked for opportunities to serve. That’s what led her to 13thirty, giving her a chance to support peers working through their cancer journey. 13thirty Cancer Connect, Inc. is a non-profit organization established in 2001 following the death of Melissa Sengbusch who was 19 years old when she died of acute myeloid leukemia. Since then, 13thirty has become an internationally known and respected leader in the field of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer because of their strong passion, clear vision, and steadfast commitment to a singular focus – teens and young adults with cancer.

After selecting the Nats and Feds State Candidates last night, ALA EGS Citizens rallied to show their support of their candidates. Goooooo Nats!!!!! Gooooooo Feds!!! Our rally went through SUNY Brockport Campus into our meeting hall where the campaign committee presented their 20 minute presentation of their candidates including introductions given by the Minority and Majority Leaders!

And the Winner is…..

After the Town Hall debate, ALA EGS citizens went to the polling booths! We are so excited to announce the winners!

ALA EGS Speaker Series

Our citizens were so lucky to have Shannon Patch, the Vice President of Government Affairs at Delaware North and Deputy Supervisor for the town of Tonawanda. Shannon has experience working in local, state, and national politics. She challenged the ALA EGS citizens to think about influence and impacting others. The theme of her career was influence and impact. She said yes to everything that came across her desk, so encourages all citizens to SAY YES! Do the thing that no one will do because that’s how things get done, and reminded citizens that how you influence the world around you is how you have an impact as it sets you apart and pushes you forward in your career.

Blue Star Banners

The Blue Star Service Banner was designed and patented in 1917 by World War I Army Capt. Robert L. Queisser of the 5th Ohio Infantry. The Blue Star Service Banner is an 8.5-by-14-inch white field with one or more blue stars sewn onto a red banner. The size varies but should be in proportion to the U.S. flag. Today, families display these banners when they have a loved one serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The blue star represents one family member serving, and a banner can have up to five stars. If the individual is killed or dies, a smaller golden star is placed over it. Gold stars are placed above the blue stars or to the top right of the flag, in the event a flag represents multiple service members.Today we took a moment to recognize each ALA EGS citizen that has a family member actively serving in the military with a blue star banner.

ALA Girls Nation

40 ALA EGS citizens gave their 2 minute speeches to their Party’s Caucus to persuade them to vote for them to attend ALA Girls Nation. Each session of Girls State selects 2 Senators which will represent their state at ALA Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. later in July. Five Nationalist candidates and five Federalist have been voted by their fellow citizens to go to the next round in which they will create FlipGrid videos for voting to select the two citizens that will represent New York at ALA Girls Nation. The results will be announced at the State of the State Ceremony on Friday!

Albright County started the day with another great flag raising around the flag pole at SUNY Brockport college. At ALA EGS we are learning how to properly raise the flag and show respect. Remember to take off your hats, even patriotic ones, when you are saying the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem! Angelou County led our flag lowering ceremony, and explained the meaning of the 12 folds of the flag. The county also led all ALA EGS citizens in singing “Happy Birthday” to America!

Today’s next speaker in our ALA EGS Speaker Series is someone that has been among us all week and shared with us a unique vantage point from her perspective and experiences that include a career in the US Air Force, something that some of our citizens may be interested in pursuing. Sharon Chaplain, E4 Air Force Veteran motivated, inspired, and enlightened our ALA EGS citizens with her journey.

We Got to Work…. on Bills!

The Nationalists and Federalists committee members are hard at work! They need to make improvements in Girls State by writing bills that will address the issues each of our counties face. Citizens diligently wrote bills, discussed problems, and came up with creative solutions. They basically had to make it WORK! Meeting with our ALA EGS Political Advisors and ALA EGS Counselors to help guide their discussions and ideas was so helpful! We can’t wait to read these bills at Legislative Session Thursday and see the impact we will make at Girls State!

WE LOVE THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE!

What a special time to be at ALA Empire Girls State on Independence Day! Our patriotism was on full display today!

Ceremony for the Disposal of Unserviceable Flags

Tubman County led the Ceremony for Unserviceable Flags. In 1937, the American Legion passed a resolution about flag retirement ceremonies, and its members created the flag code which states that “the flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” As such, the ceremonies are held in a specific manner. Participants stand aligned in two rows facing each other, as the unserviceable flag is reviewed by members before placing the flag on a small fire. The ashes of the unserviceable flag are buried as a sign of respect. Thank you to the members of Tubman County and ALA Department of New York’s Americanism Chairman Lucille Mozzillo for leading this respectful way to dispose of unserviceable flags.

40 speeches and a party platform? Oh yeah we can do that!

In ALA Empire Girls State, citizens elect a Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller, and Attorney General. But before that, they need to determine those state nominations in their own party. The Nats and Feds held elections for each office in their party caucuses tonight. We listened to all the candidates qualifications and ALA EGS citizens voted for the person they believed will win! Congratulations to all of the nominees and the winners! We can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow for Rally, Town Hall, and elections!!!

It’s another day at ALA Empire Girls State! And we were busy today!

Rankin County started today’s session by leading the ALA Empire Girls State general session in a flag raising ceremony. One important aspect of ALA EGS is learning about Americanism and respect for the American flag. ALA Department of New York Americanism Chairman Lucille Mozzillo will be helping our citizens create their county’s daily flag raising and lowering ceremonies. She also organized today’s POW/MIA ceremony.

ALA EGS Citizens had the great opportunity to have 2 guest speakers today! SUNY Brockport President Dr. Heidi Macpherson reminded us that every degree is worth it. It allows you to think deeply about who you are and encouraged citizens to do something they are passionate about.

ALA EGS 2013 and ALA Girls Nation alum Brooke DiPalma also spoke with us. She is the co-founder of P.S. I Love you day, Inc. Her talk with the citizens was also so powerful and poignant as she spoke about her journey to speak about mental health. She challenged the citizens to let this week at ALA EGS inspire them! 

Our ALA EGS Political Instructors Xamayla Rose and Jaime Ervin conducted a workshop on Policy. Did you know that Xamayla is a 1997 alumnae of ALA Empire Girls State and Jaime is a 1997 alumnae of Oklahoma Girls State? Jaime Ervin, Esq., CCEP, MSEd, is an attorney serving as General Counsel and Corporate Compliance Director of one of the largest and top ranked architecture and engineering firms in the nation. In addition to her legal experience, Jaime is a certified high school social teacher who is passionate about volunteering with the youth at ALA Empire Girls’ State and in her community. Xamayla Rose is from Brooklyn New York.  She is a Community leader with more than 15 yrs experience in government and non profit administration.  She is the former Deputy Public Advocate for Civic and Community Empowerment for the City of New York and currently works as a professor in the Nationally ranked Public Administration Department of Medgar Evers College.  Xamayla lectures on public policy and public program evaluation and speaks on civic engagement and voting rights. 

How lucky are we to have them here this week with us?

Together they explained the policy process in government and how our committees will work. Citizens are divided into two parties, Nationalists and Federalists, and within those parties, they work in their committees to create bills. All citizens serve on one of the following committees: Agriculture, Criminal Justice, Education/Technology, Environmental Conservation, Health, Homeland Security, Platform, or Campaign. Today committees elected a chair and vice chair and started brainstorming ideas of bills to help the counties in ALA Girls State.

The night ended with our first Party Caucus!!! The Nationalists (Nats) and Federalists (Feds) elected their Party Leaders! Congrats to all who were nominated and gave their two minute speeches and to those who won!

Here are the elected Nationalists and Federalists Party Leadership!

The American Legion Auxiliary’s Empire Girls State (ALA EGS) program is off and running!!! On Sunday, July 2, 2023 the 278 ALA EGS citizens and 35 staff members came together from all over the great state of New York to embark on one of the best (and hard to explain) learning experiences. Citizens and staff came by bus, car, plane, and train and hugged and kissed their parents goodbye, ready for a fun and exciting week of learning. We may have gotten a little soggy from the rain, but we are ready!

When at ALA EGS, citizens are  separated into 10 counties, all named after famous women in American history: Albright, Angelou, Anthony, Earhart, Ginsburg, O’Connor, Parks, Rankin, Ride, and Tubman. 

After checking in, they got to meet their counselors and fellow citizens in their counties. They settled into their rooms, and started to read about their county’s profiles in the Gold Book. This is an important step of the ALA EGS puzzle as it is the foundation in which the citizens will use to craft the bills and represent their county’s interests in the committees.Working together as a team is so important this week, so ice breakers and getting to know you activities started before citizens got right to work participating in elections and learning how to conduct meetings using parliamentary procedures.

Parli Pro is so much fun when ice cream is involved!

At our ALA EGS Opening Sessions, citizens were introduced to all staff members and are ready to begin this great program and take our ALA Empire Girls State Pledge!

We are ready for an awesome week! Stay tuned for all of the updates!

Today the citizens of the American Legion Auxiliary Empire Girls State program who had immediate family members serving in the military were honored with blue star banners that were made by American Legion Auxiliary junior members.

The Blue Star Service Banner was designed and patented in 1917 by World War I Army Capt. Robert L. Queisser of the 5th Ohio Infantry. Queisser’s two sons served on the front line. His banner quickly became the unofficial symbol for parents with a child in active military service.

On Sept. 24, 1917, an Ohio congressman read the following into the Congressional Record: “The mayor of Cleveland, the Chamber of Commerce and the governor of Ohio have adopted this service flag. The world should know of those who give so much for liberty. The dearest thing in all the world to a father and mother: their children.” Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Mothers organizations were established during World War I and remain active today.

During World War II, the Department of War issued specifications on manufacture of the flag, as well as guidelines indicating when the service flag could be flown and by whom. Restrictions were also passed on who can wear the service lapel. The Department of Defense authorized the service flag and service lapel on Dec. 1, 1967, with DoD Directive 1348.1, which implemented an act of Congress (U.S. Code 179-182). The Blue Star Service Banner is an 8.5-by-14-inch white field with one or more blue stars sewn onto a red banner. The size varies but should be in proportion to the U.S. flag. Today, families display these banners when they have a loved one serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The blue star represents one family member serving, and a banner can have up to five stars. If the individual is killed or dies, a smaller golden star is placed over it. Gold stars are placed above the blue stars or to the top right of the flag, in the event a flag represents multiple servicemembers.

Blue Star Service Banners were widely used during both world wars, but were not embraced during the Korean or Vietnam wars with the same enthusiasm. The American Legion rekindled that spirit of pride in our military men and women following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by providing banners to military families across the nation.

Rally , Rally Raaaaaaalllly, Rally!

Time to support the top 4 candidates in each party. We began with a parade! Then a rally and followed by Town Hall Debates! Citizens submitted questions to ask the candidates ahead of time!

Poppy Making

After World War I, the poppy flourished in Europe. Scientists attributed the growth to soils in France and Belgium becoming enriched with lime from the rubble left by the war. From the dirt and mud grew a beautiful red poppy. The red poppy came to symbolize the blood shed during battle following the publication of the wartime poem “In Flanders Fields.” The poem was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, M.D. while serving on the front lines.

On September 27, 1920, the poppy became the official flower of The American Legion family to memorialize the soldiers who fought and died during the war. In 1924, the distribution of poppies became a national program of The American Legion.

Led by the American Legion Auxiliary, each year members of The American Legion Family distribute poppies with a request that the person receiving the flower make a donation to support the future of veterans, active-duty military personnel and their families with medical and financial needs.

Poppy Day is celebrated in countries around the world. The American Legion brought National Poppy Day^® to the United States by asking Congress to designate the Friday before Memorial Day, as National Poppy Day.

Veterans make poppies to earn income, many of them disabled. Today citizens took their own try at making a poppy.

Guest Speakers

Our Tuesday started with a guest speaker from the Army! SFC Denise Puskar started her career with the ARMY RESERVE in 1987 as a Senior in Kensington High school where she went to Basic Training at Fort Dix, NJ. She held 3 military occupational skills Administrative Logistics and Instructor. She then decided to become an Active Guard Reserve RECRUITER.in 2007. She has been stationed in Buffalo Columbus , Cleveland Ohio and Erie PA. She has trained and traveled all over the country. She is the first Woman Commander of the Fredonia Memorial Post 59 in 103 years. Today she inspired the attendees to remember to work hard, and prioritize what is important vs what is urgent. She also reminded citizen’s that democracy is about the great good and as woman we need to step up and take leadership roles that women deserve to be in.

American Flag Retirement

Pocket Flags

The Pocket Flag Project was conceived in October 2001 when LuWanda Ford visited with fellow Boy Scout leaders who were veterans of the Vietnam and Gulf Wars. Both Scout leaders carried small, folded flags in their left shirt pockets and shared how important these flags were, and are, to them.

Inspired, Ford adapted the idea into a project for her Cub Scouts to develop patriotism and pride for our country while supporting our military troops. After folding and packaging 100 flags, the Scouts presented them to local Naval Reserve representatives. Her 9-year old son  told an attending reporter that the flags were going “to all the soldiers in the war”. The Pocket Flag Project has since grown into an international non-profit project.

In addition to learning about the U.S. flag and the sacrifices of our military, volunteers fold and package flags to send to our front line and deployed troops. Included with each flag is a card that says: “A flag for your pocket so you can always carry a little piece of home. We are praying for you and we are proud of you. Thank you for defending our country and our freedom.” There is room on each card for volunteer groups to include a personal message or return address for thank you notes.

This year ALA Empire Girls State Citizens learned about this program and folded their own pocket flags that they can use to provide veterans or military members they meet.

Writing Bills…Bills…Bills.

And the Nominees are….

In the party caucuses on Tuesday night 36 girls set out with hopes of securing their party’s nomination for Attorney General, Comptroller, Lt. Governor, or Governor. Each candidate was given two minutes to speak in front of their party Caucus (half of the young ladies that attend the program) and by the end of the night we are down to 4 federalist nominees and 4 nationalist nominees who will square off in town hall debates.