Letter to the Editor - Sharpee: VFW seeks essays, nominations
It is that time of the year when the VFW Post 4726 takes nominations for Patriots Pen, 6-8 grade, Voice of Democracy 9-12 grade. We also are accepting nominations for Teacher of the Year, Fireman of the Year and Police Officer of the Year.
If you have a child, grandchild or just a neighbor’s child that can write an essay for the topic “How are you showing patriotism and support for our country,” contact their school or the VFW Post in Brandon for a flyer to get the information to register through the “scholarsapp.” All applications must be done through the app. We will not accept any paper applications at the VFW.
The Teacher of the Year, Fireman of the Year, and Police Officer of the Year are all done through the Brandon VFW. If you have a favorite teacher that has done an exceptional job of teaching or mentoring children, get an application from any of the schools in the Brandon Valley School District or the VFW and write up an article for them and bring it to the VFW for judging.
Brandon has an awesome fire and police departments and they do a great job protecting our city. If you know one of them that goes above and beyond their duties, let us know. Write up an article on them and bring it to the VFW and we will take it from there.
The applications for Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy are due to the scholarsapp by Oct. 31, 2025. We also need all applications for Teacher of the yYear, Fireman and Police Officer of the Year delivered to the VFW by Oct. 31, 2025. There are awards given for winners of all categories and they will be forwarded to the district level of the VFW for judging. Winners there will also receive awards and be forwarded to the state level and those winners will go to National level. The winner at National level for Patriot’s Pen is $5,000, Voice of Democracy is $35,000.
If you have any questions about any of these awards, you can contact me directly at (605) 251-4036 or email me at tom@LTA2SUM.com.
Tom Sharpee
VFW 4726 Awards Chairman
