Seventeen-year-old Autumn Maley has already built a resume that rivals many adults — varsity lacrosse player, AP art student, junior firefighter, student government secretary and community volunteer — but this Memorial Day season, the American Legion Auxiliary junior member is taking on another meaningful role as Manhasset’s 2026 Poppy Queen.
Maley, a junior at Manhasset High School, said she was honored to be selected by the auxiliary to represent veterans and military families during this year’s Memorial Day parade and ceremonies.
The tradition dates back decades in Manhasset, where the local auxiliary has crowned a Poppy Queen since the 1970s. During the parade, Maley will ride through town carrying a bouquet of roses presented by the legion before being formally introduced at the post-parade ceremony by auxiliary president.
For Maley, the role carries personal meaning. Her late grandfather served in the Army shortly after the Korean War, an experience she said transformed his life.
“He was an orphan by the time he was 15,” she said. “The Army gave him skills, stability and a future. I joined the auxiliary to honor him and to give back to veterans.”
Maley joined the auxiliary in eighth grade and now serves as co-president of its junior division. Along with fellow members, she spends Memorial Day season distributing red poppies throughout the community in exchange for donations that support veterans, military families and active-duty troops.
The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance after World War I, inspired by the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” and the flowers that bloomed across war-torn battlefields in Europe.
This year residents can find Maley and other auxiliary members distributing poppies at locations including King Kullen, the Manhasset post office and Manhasset Bagels during Memorial Day weekend. Members are also collecting donations at Raindew and after masses at St. Mary’s Church.
Maley said her volunteer work has deepened her understanding of the struggles many veterans face after returning home, particularly with mental health, food insecurity and readjustment to civilian life.
Recently, she spearheaded a community cooking fundraiser that raised more than $1,000 for the Nassau County veterans food pantry.
Source: LI Press
