Members of the Wiscasset American Legion Post #54, and Auxiliary are preparing for a visit from the National President of the American Legion Auxiliary, Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan, from Waunakee, Wis.

American Legion Auxiliary Department President Charlotte Wing, of Bath, will be escorting Pulvermacher-Ryan during her stay in Maine. Wing was elected this past June at the organization's annual convention in June, held in Bangor.

Pulvermacher-Ryan was chosen for the top position during the Auxiliary's National Convention in August in Reno, Nev. While in Maine she will visit the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital, the Hinkley School, and Bath Iron Works.

She will arrive in Maine October 5, and will be greeted by the state officers and chairmen of the Maine Auxiliary. She will be the guest of Maine members at a dinner to be held in Bath at the Holiday Inn.

Her agenda will include a breakfast Saturday morning at the Smith Tobey Post #21 American Legion, followed by a visit to the Togus Veteran's Hospital and lunch at the Beals House. The Beals House opened in 2000 to provide temporary no-cost accommodations for families of in-patient Togus veterans. The home is supported, in part, by veterans' organizations throughout Maine, including the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary.

A banquet will be held in Pulvermacher-Ryan's honor at the Westbrook American Legion Post, October 6 where she will be the guest speaker.

Among the topics she is scheduled to discuss is the campaign to raise $1.2 million for "Educating Children of Warriors," an initiative to create an endowment to fund scholarships for children of those men and women who have fought to keep our country free.

"The Auxiliary initiated the campaign to support these young people with an endowment fund that will ensure the perpetuity of these scholarships and also hedge against the cost of inflation," she said in a press release. "Our current operating budget makes the effort to continue funding these life-changing educational opportunities very challenging and uncertain - establishing an endowment is a positive step that will reap dividends for generations."

Educating Children of Warriors campaign will provide educational opportunities to military children that face frequent moves, school transitions, isolation, long distance parenting, and the stress of knowing Mom or Dad is in harm's way.