Commander Michael Collins and President Joyce B. Preston of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the Polk County Memorial & Auxiliary U.S. Post No. 9116 have announced the kickoff of the VFW’s annual Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition.

Middle school students in grades 6-8 in the area have the opportunity to compete and win thousands of dollars in national awards.

The VFW enacted the Patriot’s Pen competition in 1995 to encourage young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by composing a 300- to 400-word patriotic-themed essay.

The theme for the 2018-19 competition is “Why I Honor the American Flag”

Students begin by competing at the local post level. Post winners advance to district competition, with district winners advancing to the state competition. State first-place winners compete for their share of thousands of dollars in awards, and the national first-place winner is awarded $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Each year, more than 125,000 students participate nationwide.

Deadline for student entries is Oct. 31. Interested students and teachers should contact their local VFW Post No. 9116 by phone to Commander Michael Collins 864-457-3115 and/or 864-230-9806 or President Joyce B. Preston 828-859-5286 and/or 828-817-0939 or email Joyce Preston at jbpreston99@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 654, Columbus, NC 28722 for more information.

Those interested in learning more may visit vfw.org/PatriotsPen.

– Submitted by Joyce Preston