Anderson winner of Americanism Essay Contest

Faith Anderson has received notice that she is the winner of the northwestern division – Class IV American Legion Auxiliary Americanism Essay Contest at the national level. Anderson competed locally, at the state level and finally at the national level.

As the winner, Anderson will receive $50 plus $50 will be donated in her name to the American Legion Auxiliary’s Children of Warriors National President’s Scholarship fund.

Faith is the daughter of Gary and Zeta Anderson. Following is an excerpt from the winning essay entitled: How can we address the health and well-being of our veteran’s military, and their families?

Building community support is important not only to engage more people in recognizing needs but also to be able to apply a variety of skills to address those needs. According to the Department of Defense 2018 demographics, over 50% of all active duty military members have a spouse or dependents.

By connecting these dependents with others in the community new relationships can be formed. Veterans can be connected with students as mentors or to teach them a skill.

Military family children can be taken on an outing to explore the outdoors with activities such as fishing, hiking, and camping. A report released in 2018 by the Military Family Advocacy Network confirms that military families turn to civilian communities for support and want more networking and communication.

The main goal in addressing the health and well-being of veterans, military and military families is to show them they are valued and the community cares. Taking that first stop to reach out and form friendships with those in need in our community is the key to making a difference. After we understand their true needs, we can then take action to find ways to offer assistance and support these valuable military members.