Ann Yamrus of Cameron, a member of John Boyd Auxiliary No. 7318, participated in 91st National Convention of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. held Aug. 14-20 at the Cincinnati Convention Center in Ohio.

The convention marked the beginning of her 2004-2005 term as national chairman for the 14 states in the Southern Conference on the Cancer Aid & Research program.

Presiding over the convention, National President Evelyn McCune, a life member of Whitesell-Finnel Auxiliary No. 971 in Newton, Kan., thanked the more than 4,000 attendees for achieving goals such as serving 1.9 million hours in the nation’s hospitals, raising $3 million for the Auxiliary’s Cancer Aid & Research Fund for the 16th consecutive year, and donating $552,041 for Operation Uplink to provide long-distance telephone cards to the troops and hospitalized veterans.

This was the second year that the organization has collected items for the troops during its National Convention. The hundreds of supplies will be sent on the returning convention truck to the National Headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., and then shipped overseas during the coming year.

This self-supporting program resulted from the request by a soldier stationed in Iraq who asked if the Ladies Auxiliary could assist the female soldiers. Beginning with last year’s convention and throughout last year, Ladies Auxiliaries, VFW Posts, and Junior Girls Units, as well as concerned community groups, donated thousands of items and more than $9,000 to ship care packages to the troops.

Twelve shipments have been sent since last September, first to the female troops in Iraq and later to both men and women stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

Attendees at the convention had the opportunity to view the winning entries in the National Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest and participate in activities with the VFW, such as the Memorial Service and the Patriotic Rally.