Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 9/21/2022
LUDLOW – The Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3236 in Ludlow recently announced it is accepting applications for student scholarships and nominations for its Teacher of the Year Award.
The 2022-2023 Patriot’s Pen Program and Voice of Democracy program is open for students in grades 6-12. The Patriot’s Pen Program is for any student from grades 6-8 while the Voice of Democracy program is for any student grades 9-12. Both deadlines are Oct. 31 at 12 a.m.
The Patriot’s Pen Program is conducted nationwide and is a competition to give students an opportunity to draft essays that express their views on an annual patriotic topic. The theme this year for the program is “My Pledge to Our Veterans.” The rules of the program is that the essay must be between 300 to 400 words, cannot have color or graphics, and you cannot identify yourself in the body of the essay by saying things like your name, race, hometown, etc. Your name can only appear on the official student entry form found online. To enter the contest, you must get your written essay and the official entry form to the participating VFW post office or email by the deadline.
The contest consists of four levels. The first level is entry sponsored by VFW Posts and it then moves from VFW District (regional), VFW Department (state) and if you make it that far, the VFW national competition. Prizes and scholarships can be awarded at each level with the state winners receiving a portion of $55,000 in national awards. The first-place national award is currently $5,000.
The Voice of Democracy program is the organization’s scholarship that has been in existence since 1947. Each year almost 80,000 students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives. To enter the contest, you must write a record an audio essay on the annual patriotic theme this year which is, “Why Is the Veteran Important.” The rules of the contest is the student must record a 3 to 5 minute essay on either a flash drive or electronic device of their written essay and submit it along with the essay and completed essay form by the deadline.
This contest also consists of four levels along with prizes and scholarships being awarded each level. The department (state) winners receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington DC, to tour the city, be honored by the VFW and receive their portion of $171,000 in national awards. The top scholarship is $35,000.
Veterans’ Agent Eric Segundo said, “These programs are great opportunities as veterans to keep patriotism alive in schools and leads students to think of solider service, patriotism, and Americanism.” According to Segundo, the Patriot’s Pen Program is part of the curriculum in the middle school which has the teachers narrow down around 300 entries to 25 for the local post to choose from. The Patriot’s Pen Program gets around three to seven entries.
In the nine years Segundo has been at the local VFW post, he said that at least one student from each category in Ludlow has moved from the local level, through the district level and to the state level where at least one student finishes top-10 each year. “It shows a great testament to the teachers and students in our school district about the curriculum they are teaching and how well the students are able to display their gratitude for Veterans and this country.”
Not only does the VFW have scholarships to help students but also a program to recognize teachers. The Teachers Award program is an award the organization gives to recognize and support the education of America’s youth. Any certified K-12 teacher is eligible to be nominated. To nominate a teacher, you must fill out the entry form online, and a minimum of a one-page resume and a maximum of five pages of other documents of their teaching experience like news articles. A head-and-shoulder photo of the teacher would also be appreciated.
For any other questions or to find the official entry forms, visit the VFW Ludlow post website, vfw3236.org, and search under the “programs” tab.