VFW Ladies' Auxiliary offers $10,000 scholarship
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

One talented area high school student may get a chance to craft their future with a $10,000 college scholarship. High school and home-schooled students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to enter the National Patriotic Art Contest sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

According to state contest chairperson Sheila Crane, students do not have to be related to a war veteran in order to enter an artistic, positive, patriotic creation of their choice, but do need to be sponsored by the local chapter of Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW.

"Most students and parents are seeking financial assistance to pay for a college education and this is one opportunity for a talented young artist to receive financial assistance," Crane said in a prepared statement.

"In addition to the $10,000 college scholarship, the first place national winner will be awarded am expense paid trip to the National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary which will be held in August of 2007 in Kansas City, Missouri."

Gulf Breeze High School pottery teacher Donna Fowler said this was the second year she'd heard of the scholarship and mentioned that she would probably alter her current curriculum to give her students an opportunity to compete.

"We do have some very talented kids here," Fowler said. "Art is great for critical thinking like this because we encourage them to find their own information and solve their own problems."

Established in 1978, the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Awards scholarship contest encourages high school students to use their artistic talents to express their patriotism while giving them the opportunity to win scholarships to further their education.

In the formative years of the contest, a $1,000 first-place and a $500 second-place scholarship was given along with three cash awards from $100 to $25. Today three scholarships are given from $10,000 to $2,500.

In 2000, the Patriotic Art Escrow Fund was established with the goal of making this a self-sustaining program, a goal that the group hopes to be fulfill this year.

In addition to the scholarship opportunity, Fowler said her advanced students would stay busy with competitions in spring semester with the school district senior art show Feb. 1 and 2, The Santa Rosa County fair in March and the Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts Show.