Scholarships: Now is the Time to Connect!

Scholarships:  Now is the Time to Connect!

What a great year we have to look forward to! Summer is coming to an end and kids are heading back to school. NOW is the time to connect with teachers, students and parents regarding our scholarships.

There are four scholarship contests to promote:

• Continuing Education
• Young American Creative Patriotic Art
• Patriot’s Pen
• Voice of Democracy

Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy have a student submission deadline of Tuesday, November 1, 2016. Student entries must be received at the local VFW Post by this date.

Patriot’s Pen

• 2016-2017 Theme: “The America I Believe In”
• Grade level: 6-8 grades
• Award amount: National awards totaling $54,500, with each first-place state winner receiving a minimum of $500 at the national level. First-place national winner receives $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Voice of Democracy

• 2016-2017 Theme: “My Responsibility to America”
• Grade level: 9-12 grades
• Award amount: The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. Other national scholarships range from $1,000-$16,000, and the first-place winner from each (state) VFW Department wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Community awareness is the key to success of the scholarship program. It is imperative that you ACT NOW to promote these two competitions to as many community members as possible. Some ways that you can achieve promotion of these programs are:

• Use social media. This is one of the best ways to reach our youth and their parents, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.
• Post information about the scholarships on your local VFW and Auxiliary website and on your Department website.
• Ask youth to help put posters up at local restaurants, coffee shops and/or community-based organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, local family resource centers, libraries, community centers, etc.
• Find out if you can place a free ad or press release in your local newspaper describing the elements of each contest. Make sure to include the award amounts and who to contact.

DON’T FORGET THAT DEADLINES ARE COMING UP SOON.

November:

• November 1: Student Entry Deadline to VFW Post*
• November 15: VFW Post Judging Complete

December:

• December 15: VFW District Judging Complete

January:

• January 10: VFW Department Judging Complete
• January 15: VFW Department Winners to VFW National Headquarters*

 

* required deadlines

Go to the VFW Auxiliary National website at vfwauxiliary.org/scholarships to access scholarship applications and brochures. Additional resources to help you in your promotions of the program can be found behind Member Login on the Programs & Publicity Resources page, as well as at the VFW Store at vfwstore.org.