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Comment by johnnie on September 15, 2007 at 12:44pm

Hi Anqelique, I am a past president of a Florida Ladies Auxillary. My friend(her husband is also a firefighter) and I started the auxillary to give support not only to the firefighters but their family also. Here is a few things we where able to do in a short year= bring meals to a fireman's wife after her surgery, stood in the middle of the roads with our husbands to collect for MS, also stood on the side of the roads with signs of support for the union during a contract fight between our fire department and the county government, sit with the family of a fireman who's little girl had bone cancer, called members up to give support numerous times during periods in their life when another fireman's wife was needed. When our auxillary was started we got in touch with the national ladies auxillary, set everything up legal(we even obtained a tax free number form the state),set up a bank account, wrote into our by laws a rule against any gossip during auxillary time. We also spent a great deal of time getting the firefighters into the local newspapers to promote the idea that they where (and continue to be) a support to the county. We felt that PR was very important in terms of future voiting. I understand however your questions, when we started the auxillary there was some firemen that told their wifes not to join becacuse we would only gossip. But after a few months some began to uderstand our goals. My freind and myself even where asked to be in charge of the Christmas Party one year. I am sorry to say that our auxillary no longer meets. Because our fire department is the lowest paying in the area we lost around 93 firefighters over a 3-5 year period to surrounding counties. The families remain in our county, however the wifes can no longer continue in our local auxillary. To your question of what a ladies auxillary is suppose to do- support. I am not a stay at home mom, today most firefighters wifes work a full time job also. However I love my husband, I am very pround of him and I miss him every 3rd day. I also know down deep where I do not want to go that one day he may not come home. For me the ladies auxillary also gave me an outlet, gave me other ladies to talk to about what it feels like to have your car break down when he is at work, to worry about that sound at 3 am-is it a dog in the garbage or someone breaking in? When done right a ladies auxillary is a great thing, we support and love each other, we understand each other and just like with our husbands- we are a sisterhood. I wish more ladies would start an auxillary up. I am not June from Leave It To Beaver- I have a collage degree, but there is a part that still wants to set around a coffed table and talk to my sisters. I hope to hear from you or other wifes. Johnnie in Florida