JASPER – VFW Post 673 hosted the Voices of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen scholarship winners during the Post Auxiliary’s annual Spring Fling dinner that took place on May 5.
Voices of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen first-place entries were presented and both received scholarship awards after dinner and a brief Memorial Service honoring VFW and VFW Auxiliary members who passed away over the previous year.
The theme for Voices of Democracy was “Why is the Veteran Important?”. The First Place awardee was Ryan Verkamp, a student at Jasper High School. Ryan also placed first in VFW District 8 competition and second at the state level for VFW IN. He received $1250 in scholarship funds during Spring Fling and was hosted by VFW IN during the State Convention weekend.
The top three awardees for the state enjoyed an overnight stay in Indianapolis, a tour of downtown Indianapolis sites of interest, and a formal dinner honoring their achievements.
The theme for Patriot’s Pen was “My Pledge to Our Veterans”. This year’s winner was Maddox Mitchell, a student at Jasper Middle School. Maddox received $500 in scholarship funds.
Both scholarship contests are held annually and include entries from the Greater Jasper and Northeast Dubois school districts. The contests are open to all who qualify, including home-schooled students. Visit vfw.org/ to learn more about VFW’s 2022-2023 scholarship competitions.
