New Year; New Inspirations

BY SHARON HOBBS, AVVA PRESIDENT

The AVVA Board held a short virtual meeting in January to discuss a few matters that could not wait until our face-to-face meeting in the spring. One important item was passing a balanced budget.

We will meet in April in Arlington, Virginia, where we will continue planning for the National Leadership Conference. We have begun our search for this year’s Project Friendship recipient. A formal announcement will be made during the April Board meeting. Our contributions will be given to the recipient at the closing of the Conference.

AVVA has three awards designed to acknowledge the work and dedication of individual members. It is not too early to nominate this year’s national award contenders. All recipients will be announced during the AVVA Awards Luncheon at the Leadership Conference, and the winners do not have to be present to win. VISTA volunteer frontrunners will also be recognized for their service at the Awards Luncheon.

The Paper Safe has been, and continues to be, one of our most successful programs. We now have a fresh supply. I thank all of you who have patiently waited for their arrival. A Paper Safe is available to all veterans and their families simply for the asking. An order form is on our website at https://www.avva.org/papersafe.html.

A reminder that January through June in even-numbered years is AVVA’s election season, so at-large, state, and chapter elections will be held in 2026. The election policy can be found at www.avva.org or you may contact your state official for help.

I am looking forward to AVVA’s progression. In the words of George Bernard Shaw: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

With an open mind and hard work, AVVA has a bright future; we will not just survive, we will thrive. As AVVA and VVA plan for the future, our focus will be on taking the best path for a successful outcome.

Whether through merger or consolidation, rest assured that AVVA and VVA’s plan will be constructed around VVA’s founding principle that “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.” In addition, AVVA’s mission also includes advocating for the families of veterans.

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