Pittsboro, NC – Joe Wagner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7313 is pleased to announce the winners of its 2021-22 Youth and Education award competitions:
Voice of Democracy – Established in 1947, this program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in a recorded audio essay on a democratic and patriotic theme. This year the winners at the Post level were Willian Zinn – First Place, $100; Hannah Kelly – Second Place, $75 and Aidan Zinn – Third Place, $50. William and Hannah, the first and second place winners, were sponsored by the Post to the VFW North Carolina District 9 level of the competition. Their winning essays were based on this year’s theme, “America: where do we go from here?”.Patriot’s Pen – Established in 1995, this youth essay competition for grades 6, 7 and 8 was enacted as a way to encourage young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society while improving their writing skills. This year the winners at the Post level were Braydon Timpy – First Place, $100; Domenico Amelio – Second Place, $75 and Jackson Trum – Third Place, $50. Braydon and Domenico, the first and second place winners, were sponsored by the Post to the VFW North Carolina District 9 level of the competition. Their winning essays were based on this year’s theme, “How Can I Be A Good American?”.Teacher of the Year – Each year the VFW recognizes exceptional teachers for their outstanding commitment to teach Americanism and patriotism to their students and to promote America’s history, traditions and citizenship education effectively. This year the winner at the Post level with an award of $100 was Stephen Coble, a history teacher at the Haw River Christian Academy, Pittsboro, North Carolina. He was sponsored by the Post to the VFW North Carolina District 9 level of the competition.
The winners and their families have been invited to an award presentation ceremony at the Post’s regular monthly meeting at 6:30 pm on November 23, 2021.
Forty-five (45) students participated in the Post level essay competitions this year. Winners at the Post level have the opportunity to move through the District and Department (State) levels to compete at the national level for individual awards ranging from $500 to $30,000.
ABOUT THE VFW: The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans’ organization. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With nearly 1.7 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,400 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans’ service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information or to join, visit our website at www.vfw.org.
ABOUT JOE WAGNER POST 7313: VFW Post 7313 serves veterans, military families and their local communities in Pittsboro, Siler City, all of Chatham County and the surrounding areas. The Post was founded on 16 May 1946 by 39 Chatham County veterans and was incorporated on 11 June 1992. VFW National granted a Perpetual Charter to the Joe Wagner Post on 29 December 2004. Regular meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month (except December) at 6:30 p.m. at 219 West Street, Pittsboro, North Carolina. New members are always welcome! For more information or to join, visit our website at vfw7313.org.