Department of New York Auxiliary President, Karen Dotson has six healthy grandchildren, and as she’s watched them grow up, it always makes her think of the children of the veteran families residing at the VFW National Home for Children. Karen wanted to come up with a unique way to raise money for the National Home when she thought up “Nickels for the Nursery.” In June of 2016, she distributed empty plastic baby bottles to all eight Auxiliary Districts and all eight County Council Presidents and asked them to fill them up. She thought it was a quirky, simple idea that didn’t require a lot of thought, just a simple donation. But this simple idea turned into a $6,000 donation for the nursery at the National Home! Recently, Karen and several other women from the Department of New York had the opportunity to come to the National Home and experience first hand what they had raised money for. The nursery is one of many services available to the residents, offering free, state certified childcare to all residents with children between the ages of 0 and five. “I can’t describe the loving feeling you get when you are here visiting.” remarked Karen. Karen has been a member of the auxiliary since 2001, when her mother asked her to join the Chili Memorial Auxiliary #412 in Rochester, New York. Karen’s father served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Thank you so much for your ingenuity and generosity, Karen! We hope others will feel inspired by your idea.