Matthew Cleary Post American Legion
selects Boys & Girls State Candidates

   A total of five teens from Caledonia-Mumford will be attending the American Legion sponsored Boys and Girls State educational programs on government and citizenship. These programs are among the most respected and selective government education programs available to high school students.

   The Matthew Cleary Post 255 in Caledonia selected Harold Neale, Bryan Parslow and Matthew Polisseni to attend this summer’s program, which will be held on the campus of State University College at Morrisville, NY.

   The Ladies Auxiliary selected Jessica D’Agostino, Kaitlin Verni and Jackie McCoy (alternate) to attend Girls State, which will be held on the campus of the State University College at Brockport, NY. Both programs are being held from June 24 – 30, 2007.

   The five candidates said they are looking forward to attending the program and all are interested in developing leadership skills and learning more about government through their experiences at Boys and Girls State.

   Mel Keenan, Matthew Cleary Post Commander, said the post believes the Boys State program is a worthwhile investment in the community’s young men, exposing them to the rights, privileges and responsibilities afforded every American citizen by the United States Constitution. Candidates who attended Boys State in the past reported to post members that the weeklong program was a great experience, unlike any other in that it gave them an opportunity to participate in the operation of local, county and state government, Keenan said.

   Martha Keenan, Girls State chairperson with the Ladies Auxiliary, said the role of women in government positions has expanded over the past two decades. Girls State is an excellent training ground for young women seeking leadership and government experience. Girls State exemplifies that the basic principles of a democratic society are available to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or gender. Like Boys State, the candidates participate in the various operations of establishing a government.

   Both programs create a simulated state, including the election of public officials at the local, county and state levels who carry out the duties and responsibilities of their respective office. Hundreds of candidates attend each annual program. The training includes legislative sessions, court proceedings, law enforcement presentations, assemblies, bands, chorus and recreational programs.

   A candidate is selected annually from both state level programs to attend the Boys Nation and Girls Nation programs, held in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland where the leadership and citizenship training is expanded.

   The selection process for both Boys and Girls State includes personal interviews between the post’s selection committee members and the interested candidates. To be considered for the programs, the candidate must have completed their junior year of high school in the upper 50 percent of their class and be a New York State resident. Candidates must possess the outstanding qualities of leadership, character, honesty, scholarship, cooperation and maturity.

   The Matthew Cleary Post and Ladies Auxiliary fund all of the expenses for the candidates to attend.

Boys' State

   Boys' State is a program of The American Legion developed from the concept that youth should be offered a better perspective of the practical operation of government; that the individual is an integral part and commensurately responsible for the character and success of his government. As such, it is an activity of high educational value, born of a need for youth training in practical citizenship. This year, The American Legion Department of New York will send over 1,000 boys to SUNY Morrisville, New York.

   Candidates for New York Boys' State must be at least 15 years of age at the time of application, must have completed their junior year in the upper 50% of their class and intend to return to school in the fall as seniors to complete their high school education; and residents of the State of New York or who are residents of an adjoining state and who attend school in New York State and have the following qualifications: Potential leadership; ability to get along with others; mentally alert and physically clean and neat; honest; good personality; vigorous; cooperative and enthusiastic and above all a good American citizen.

   Each year, a Boys' State participant is elected Governor and thereafter is invited to attend the Department of New York's State Convention.  Also each year, two Boys' State participants will be selected to attend the National program called Boys' Nation in Washington, D.C. 

Empire Girls' State

   From American Legion Auxiliary members' hearts - to their hands - to their service for America's youth, Empire Girls' State represents the goals and ideals for the future of our great country. It is a non-partisan Americanism program, emphasizing citizens’ duties, rights, and responsibilities in the political and governmental processes of a democratic society.

   During this very busy week, Girls' State citizens, representing their two political parties, will formulate and run political campaigns, participate in debates, write legislation about the issues of government that are important to their respective Girls’ State county constituents and their peers, and participate in mock legislative sessions of county and state levels of government. Through the guidance of the Department Americanism Chairman, the citizens will be educated in appropriate etiquette for the display, handling, and disposal of the American Flag, as they gain a new respect for this symbol of America’s greatness as a free and democratic nation.

   Girls' State citizens gain knowledge about the operations of a democracy, and they will have the opportunity to meet some of their peers from all corners of this great state of New York. Friendships formed during this one-week experience often last a lifetime and develop into a network of intelligent, professional women.

   Empire Girls' State prepares today's young women to be knowledgeable, active participants and leaders in tomorrow’s American democracy and the world. The three hundred sixty (360) High School Junior students who attend the program gain a unique knowledge of the political process and the duties of responsible citizenship. They also provide the American Legion Auxiliary with a potential source for recruitment of new members.

   The 2007 session of Empire Girls' State will be held on the campus of SUNY Brockport College.