American GI Forum of California

The AGIF/CA has been in existence in California since 1958, and is a subsidiary of the much larger AGIF of the U.S.

The AGIF/CA, with its mission to alleviate, through education, unfortunate conditions and situations within our communities, and those conditions also affecting Veterans and families, continues to function today as it did when it was founded in 1958. 

The AGIF/CA’s work is mainly geared to a three-prong effort:

One: Veterans’ issues:  They are now being addressed mainly through the AGIF/CA Veterans Outreach Program (VOP).  Funds derived from private sources and corporations through the VOP are distributed to those chapters working closely with Veterans and families, especially now for wounded and disabled, recently discharged Veterans from on-going wars.

Two: Civil Rights Issues:  The AGIF has and continues to work with our own civil rights representative, MALDEF and other community legal groups on immigration, police brutality cases, redistricting, discrimination, schools and university issues, and more recently, on Veterans’ legal issues.

Three: Educational Endeavors:  All of the 23 California Forum and Women’s chapters continue to fundraise to award educational grants for those community youth pursuing higher educational goals.  Approximately 300 scholarship grants are awarded by the AGIF/CA chapter organizations each year.

The AGIF/CA is involved, above and beyond that already mentioned, in political legislation, and support other community issues on behalf of our Veterans, members, and the community at large.

Many of our chapters have become non-profit 501(c)3 federally exempt organizations in the last year.  In so doing, they are becoming self-sustaining, procuring funds for their chapter events to benefit the three-prong mission of our community involvement.

We continue to urge each chapter and their membership to not only follow the AGIF/CA mission, but to venture out and pursue other avenues to assist in issues and programs pertinent to their communities.

Willie Galvan, State Commander

American GI Forum of California