We’re Your ALA Girls State Committee & We’re Here to Help!
Beryl Robbins, Chairman
Your ALA Girls State Committee had a busy September. All of our forms have been updated and they are ready to be added to our ALA Girls State webpage at: https://michalaux.org/girls-state/. We had committee members at Fall Conference in Battle Creek, and at the Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. Another committee member attended a Grand Haven School Board meeting and presented our Samsung Scholarship recipient, McKena Twa, with a certificate. The school board also presented her with a Certificate of Excellence.
Now is the time to contact your schools to recruit female students who will complete their junior year of high school in 2026. If you are unable to visit a school in person, Beryl can assist you by providing contact information for school principals and superintendents all over the state of Michigan. When a student applies to our program, they will be supplying the name and contact information of their guidance counselor. We are hoping that this will help our sponsors develop a lasting relationship with high school counselors in their hometowns.
We have committee members located in the 5th, 7th, 10th, 16th, and 18th Districts that are available to assist you by attending one of your ALA District and/or Unit meetings to talk about our program and answer your questions. Their contact information is located on the front page of our sponsorship guide.
We recommend following these 5 easy steps for a successful year:
- Step 1: Submit a Pledge Form so we know who to forward the delegate applications to.
- Step 2: Secure funding, share the pledge form with businesses & organizations to help out.
- Step 3: Find students to sponsor, or make a selection from the applications we provide.
- Step 4: Confirm your student is able to attend before sending in your Reservation Form!
- Step 5: Consider hosting an Orientation in your District and invite a committee member.
Why should ALA Girls State matter to you? Did you know that if a student you sponsor indicates on her ALA Girls State application that she is a descendent of a Veteran, she is not only eligible to apply for our Samsung Scholarship, she is also eligible to join your American Legion Auxiliary Unit? Expand your membership numbers by inviting your ALA Girls State delegates and their family members to fill out a membership application. Our communities need our youth to continue our mission of serving veterans, military, and their families.
In closing, our program is an amazing week of learning, focused on responsible citizenship and leadership. It provides participants with firsthand experience and insight into how their state government and judicial system works. As a reminder, ALA Girls State is scheduled for June 14-20, 2026 on the campus of Michigan State University. The cost to sponsor a student is $425, and the student will be required to pay a $25 registration fee. Since our dates may differ from Boys State this year, we are prepared to make the necessary plans to bus our Upper Peninsula students to MSU.
ALAGS Committee Member, Rebecca Hopp, with McKenna Twa, Michigan’s Samsung Scholarship winner.