Alaska Girls State is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary Units that pay the registration fee ($300.00) for young ladies from their area school districts. The Girls State Citizens and their families are responsible for transportation to and from the session. The Girls State Program provides a shuttle van to and from the Anchorage Airport and train station, if needed.
Alaska is unique in that most of the school districts do not have an American Legion Auxiliary. Alaska with a land area of 586,412 square miles, has 54 school districts and over 500 schools. There are only 12 school districts that have an Auxiliary Unit. Therefore, the Department of Alaska Auxiliary, Girls State must use funds from the program to pay the expenses of the citizens that are not sponsored by one of the 16 active Auxiliary Units.
A project launched this past year called "RURAL PROJECT" is asking for donations to help pay the fees for citizens that are not sponosred by an American Legion Auxiliary Unit.
I want to increase this fund so that in the future, the program may be able to grant travel scholarships for rural Alaska. With the cost of travel out of the rural villages, it is no wonder that we cannot get any participants. For 2009 we had a young lady attend from the Kuspuk School DIstrict, in which her Tribal Council paid for her travel expense. I thank them because it is their village future that they invested in. It is the youth of tomorrow that will be our future leaders...
Donations may be sent to: Department of Alaska, Auxiliary
Please memo that it is for Rural Project.
