The Lakewood American Legion has 105 members and an auxiliary component with 30 members, and participation is on the rise.

"We're growing in the city of Lakewood and we want to make it clear that we are here to service this community," said Roger Dube, who has belonged to the American Legion for 44 years and now serves as commander of the Lakewood post. "We want to grow both (our) membership at the post and in the auxiliary."

With nearly 1 million members, the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA), founded in 1919, is the world's largest women's patriotic service organization. ALA President Kris Nelson stopped by the Lakewood American Legion post, located just off Bridgeport Way, on April 17 during her first-ever visit to Washington.

In addition to visiting the American Legion, Nelson spent the day at Joint Base Lewis-McChord bringing in lunch for the Soldiers of the Warrior Transition Battalion and meeting with patients at the American Lake VA Hospital. She also took the time to sign a new auxiliary charter that evening - and the newly formed DuPont chapter already has 14 members.

"I never thought I'd wind up doing this," said Nelson. "I've been on the other side for 29 years in the auxiliary, and now I am out supporting those who are out in the communities doing the work."

During her yearlong term as president, Nelson has traveled to many of the 10,500 ALA sites across the country to report on best practices and remind members of the program's original purpose. She estimated that she'd spend less than three weeks at home throughout the busy 12 months.

"When we weren't at war (the ALA) got more into community service," Nelson explained. "However, in the recent past, we have gotten back to our intended purpose, which is to support the military and their families."

For more information about the national service organization's auxiliary program, visit www.alaforveterans.org/Pages/default.aspx.