MARYSVILLE — On Feb. 18, Marysville Unit 178 of the Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion was officially instated, with Kay Smith installed as its charter president.

Ever since the central Marysville annexation made her job as a Marysville Fire District commissioner redundant, Smith has had a hole in her schedule. A window of a Navy veteran, Smith had previously attempted to bring back the Legion’s Ladies Auxiliary a couple of decades ago, but her earlier efforts were unsuccessful.

“I try to stay active, and I’ve been very fortunate,” Smith said. “I’m very passionate about serving veterans and their families, and somebody needs to make that happen.”

The Ladies Auxiliary is open to mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives, daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters of living or deceased military veterans, as well as to female veterans themselves. Among the number of programs that the Legion and the Ladies Auxiliary raise funds for, to support veterans and their families, are scholarships for the children of veterans, and veterans’ homes and hospitals.

“We reach out to young people to teach them things like flag etiquette,” Smith said. “I hope that, by my own enthusiasm, I can lead by example.”

While the Ladies Auxiliary’s schedule is still up in the air at the moment, Smith expects they’ll conduct a poppy sale for Memorial Day. She encouraged other community members to join, to “get in on the ground floor” of determining the organization’s course.

The newly chartered unit will close the charter roles on Feb. 28. The unit currently consists of 17 members. In addition to Smith, the following officers were elected: Joan Ralls as vice president, Darilee Bednar as secretary, Darlene Scott as treasurer, Doris Lobe as chaplain, Debra Ostrowski as historian and Linda Claughton as sergeant-at-arms.

The installing officers were District Auxiliary President Lora Shanahan and acting Sergeant-at-Arms Karen Schwartz. Also attending were American Legion Department Commander Bob Schwartz, Ladies Auxiliary Department President Kathy Kerr, Area 1 Vice Commander Jacob Cabaug and American Legion 2nd District Commander Loren Sperry.

The Ladies Auxiliary will meet the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the American Legion Hall, at the intersection of Second Street and Cedar Avenue.

“God bless America, land of the free because it’s the home of the brave,” Smith said.