VFW kicks-off annual $30,000 Scholarship competition
Earl Pavlik, Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Post 10122 in Scotch Plains and Fanwood, announced the kick-off of this year’s VFW’s Voice of Democracy Scholarship competition. Local high school students have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships and a trip to Washington, D.C.
Students must write and record a three-to-five minute essay on the selected theme using an audio CD or flash drive and present their recording, typed essay and completed entry form to their local VFW Post by October 31. The 2020-2021 theme selected is “Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned?” Students begin by competing at the local post level, then post winners compete at the district level with the winner advancing to the state competition.
All state first-place winners receive a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., and the chance to compete for their share of more than $150,000 in scholarships. The first-place winner receives a $30,000 college scholarship.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) started the Voice of Democracy Scholarship program in 1947. The VFW became a national sponsor in the late 1950s and assumed sole responsibility for the program in 1961. The competition was created to provide students grades 9-12 the opportunity to express themselves in regard to democratic ideas and principles. Around 40,000 students participate in the competition each year and VFW awards more than $2.1 million in educational scholarships every year.
Student entries, accompanied with a completed entry form, must be submitted to a local participating VFW Post. The deadline is Oct. 31, 2020.
Interested students and teachers should contact the Voice of Democracy Chairman Frank Chupko at VFW Post 10122 via email at frankchupko@aol.com.
