Jeanna-Walters Fancella, American Legion

Photo Courtesy of Jeanna-Walters Fancella

The theme “Mission Driven, Family Focused” was the message delivered to attendees on Saturday, February 21st at the Clay Center Historical Museum when National American Legion Auxiliary President Pam Ray stopped in Clay Center on her tour through Kansas. Over three dozen District 11 Legion Family members from 14 different communities were present to meet Mrs. Ray and to hear her passion for helping people through Auxiliary service. Her 69-year membership is to honor her late father, a Korean War and WWII Veteran. Several points of interest mentioned in her presentation included Veteran Service with Wreaths Across America, honoring Gold Star Families, encouraging Welcome Home celebrations for Honor Flight attendees, and the Legion Family Challenge 250 in honor of our nation’s 250th birthday with a three-point focus on Veteran Wellness, Physical Activity and Community Service.

The meet and greet for the ALA National President included six other stops for a whirlwind trip through the state. Clay Center ALA Unit #101 hosted the soup and sandwich luncheon. Mrs. Ray thoroughly enjoyed a little sightseeing and mentioned her love of the many murals she saw while driving through our community, posting many photos on the National ALA Facebook page when talking about her travels.

Pam is married to Harl Ray. They have been married for 46 years and live in Illinois. They have two daughters. Pam has served in several positions over the years at the Local, District and Department levels before becoming a National officer. Pam’s passion has always been the love of her family and helping people, bringing together those two things was the basis for her theme. She believes in the American Legion Auxiliary mission and the ability of the Legion Family to work together to make our communities stronger and the lives of our Veterans and their families better.