Tag Archives: Education

Education, Uncategorized

CONGRATULATIONS! Local student writers’ success in VFW essay competition

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Back in September, we published an invitation for entries in a student essay contest presented by the VFW. Among the local students who responded and participated, there are winners in subsequent rounds of judging, and two going on to state competition! VFW Post 2713 in The Triangle shares the news:

Congratulations to the 22 student winners of the Youth Essay contests from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2713 in West Seattle. The student winners came from Arbor Heights Elementary School, Holy Family School, Madison Middle School, and Our Lady of Guadalupe School. A total of $770 was given to the winners, according to Bill Dwyer, Post 2713 Senior Vice Commander and Chairman of the Youth Essay Scholarship program.

Five of the 22 student winners from VFW Post 2713 also went on to the District 2 competition. On January 6, the District 2 meeting was held at VFW Rainier Post. Here are the results of the competition:

–Liam Stampe won 2nd place for 4th grade from Our Lady of Guadalupe School.
–Malik Dawson won 1st place for 5th grade from Holy Family School. Malik now competes at State Level.
–Danika Ronda won 1st place for 6th grade from Madison Middle School. Danika now competes at State level.
–Roxanne Elder won 3rd place for 7th grade from Madison Middle School.
–Miles Dawson won 3rd place for 8th grade from Holy Family School.

Congratulations to the District 2 winners (there are 15 Districts in the state). The State winners will be awarded January 20.

Reposted from the West Seattle Blog, West Seattle news, 24/7

Source: CONGRATULATIONS! Local student writers’ success in VFW essay competition

Education

VBA GI Bill: Choosing a School & Comparison Tool

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Colleagues and Fellow Veterans and Servicemembers,

Like any military mission, transitioning to civilian life takes preparation, research, planning, and the right tools. One of the most powerful tools you have is the GI Bill®, and it’s important to know how to use it.

That’s why we are excited to introduce two unique tools to help you in your decision process.

We have recently updated our ‘Choosing the Right School’ Guide.  This new version includes information about the different types of degrees/programs that you can use with the GI Bill, the importance of school accreditation, and much more valuable information to help you make the right decisions on where to use your hard earned benefits!  You can check it out at:http://www.benefits.va.gov/…/factshee…/Choosing_a_School.pdf

As well we would like to introduce VA’s “Know Before You Go” video, featuring Veterans who have used their GI Bill benefits and offer great advice for how you can make the most of yours.

You can use your benefits to obtain an associate, bachelor’s, master’s degree, or even a Ph.D. You can participate in a certification program to gain the credential required for the civilian job you want. You can learn a new trade through an apprenticeship or on-the-job training.

For some Veterans, having so many options can feel overwhelming. “Make sure you have a plan,” says Kyle White, an Army Veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient who appears in the video. The GI Bill Comparison Tool is a great place to start. But perhaps the most powerful resource to help you make well-informed decisions about the future is your network of fellow Veterans.

Take a moment to watch the video https://Know_Before_You_Go to hear more from Kyle and other Veterans. I am confident that you will learn something new and want to share the video with your fellow Servicemembers and Veterans.  We will soon have it on our GI Bill website, our Comparison Tool and including it in our TAP classes.

We all need to make sure this generation of Veterans has every opportunity to succeed. We understand how important it is to prepare for life after the military, and we will continue working to provide you with the research and tools you need.

As always – please feel free to pass this on!

V/R

Curtis L. Coy

Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity

Veterans Benefits Administration

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Core Values:  Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence (“I CARE”)

Please Remember:

  • If you are seeking employment in the federal government, particularly the VA, our VA for Vets high-tech tools and resources can help. Visit online at http://vaforvets.va.gov/or call 1-855-824-8387.

If you would like to contact us about your VA education benefits:

You can send us a secure email that will usually be answered within 48 hours. You can also search for answers to frequently asked questions and register to be notified of any updates to the information. This contact method is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can also be utilized worldwide. Click here to enter the “Ask A Question” site or here to review our frequently asked questions.

You can call 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551). This line only accepts calls from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM central time Monday – Friday.

Education, Patriots Pen, Scholarship, Voice of Democracy, Youth Essay

2015-2016 VFW Scholarship Awards Now Open for Submission

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Voice of Democracy 2015-16 “My Vision for America”

1st Place – $100 2nd Place – $50 3rd Place – $25

State level prizes range from $400 – $1,200

National level prizes range from $1,000 – $30,000

Each year, more than 45,000 high school students from across the country enter to win a share of the $2.2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the VFW’s Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition.

Knowing that a democratic society needs nurturing, the VFW established the Voice of Democracy program (VOD) in 1947 to provide students grades 9-12 the opportunity to express themselves in regards to democratic ideas and principles.

Students should record their reading of the draft to a CD. The recording can be no shorter than three minutes and no longer than five minutes (plus or minus five seconds).

The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. Other national scholarships range from $1,000- $16,000 and the first-place winner from each (State) VFW Department wins an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Patriot’s Pen 2015-16 Theme “What Freedom Means to Me”

1st Place – $75 2nd Place – $40 3rd Place – $20

State level prizes range from $50 – $700

National level prizes range from $500 – $5,000

VFW believes strongly in good citizenship and fostering patriotism. That’s why we encourage youthful minds to examine our nation’s history and their own experiences in modern American society through our Patriot’s Pen youth essay-writing contest.

Annually, roughly 126,000 students from grades 6-8 (nationwide) enter. One first-place winner from each state competes to win one of 46 national awards totaling $46,000. The national first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in March.

Students draft a 300-400 word essay, expressing their views based on an — always patriotic — annual theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief.

Youth Essay * 2015-16 Theme “Why is America my favorite Country”

1st Place – $50 2nd Place – $25 3rd Place – $15

State level prizes range from $50 – $100

*This is a State of Washington program only not National (yet)

This essay contest is for grades 3 thru 5. This is exclusively awarded by the VFW Department of Washington. Judging is done at the Local Post, District and State levels. The state winner will receive a Savings Bond. Youth Essay Entry Form

Education

Military Spouses Career Advancement Program

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To encourage spouses of military personnel to pursue education, the Military Spouses Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program prepares military spouses for employment in Health Career Fields.
With up to $4,000 of Financial Assistance from the Department of Defense, now is the time to train for the careers that are in the highest demand.
MyCareerSkill.org is a Distance Learning Initiative from Florida Gulf Coast University in partnership with MedCerts, offering MyCAA approved, fully funded Health Care Career Training. If you are a military spouse and qualify for MyCAA funding, your tuition could be 100% covered!
Here are just a few of the careers for which our courses and programs can prepare you:- Pharmacy Technician
– Electronic Health Records Specialist
– Medical Office Management & Administration
– Billing & Coding Reimbursement Specialist
– Health Care Administration

Each of our health care career training programs is a complete package for career success and includes:- Expert-Led Online Video Lectures
– On Demand Online Mentoring
– Student Workbooks and Reference Material
– Certification of Completion
– Payment for Certification Exams Registration

To learn more about our programs, MyCAA qualifications or to request more information, visit their site at MyCareerSkill.org.
Education

VFW Scholarship Themes for 2013-14

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Each year the VFW National, State, District and each Post present an education scholarship. For grades 9-12th it is called Voice of Democracy, for grades 6-8th it is called Patriots Pen and special only to the State of Washington is the Youth Essay for grades 3rd-5th. Any student is allowed to enter and submissions must be sent to there local post. The deadline for entry is 11/1/13.

Themes for 2013-14

Voice of Democracy “Why I’m Optimistic About our Nation’s Future.”

1st Place – $100

2nd Place – $50

3rd Place – $25

State level prizes range from $400 – $1,200

National level prizes range from $1,000 – $30,000

Patriots Pen “What Patriotism Means to Me.”

1st Place – $75

2nd Place – $40

3rd Place – $20

State level prizes range from $50 – $700

National level prizes range from $500 – $5,000

Youth Essay* “My American Hero Is…”

1st Place – $50

2nd Place – $25

3rd Place – $15

State level prizes range from $50 – $100

*This is a State of Washington program only not National (yet)

If you live in the West Seattle area and would like to submit an essay and have a question please email us at any of these emails. post2713@vfw.com, vfw2713@yahoo.com, vfwpost2713@gmail.com

Education, Events, Vietnam

Vashon Island and the Vietnam War

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In October the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum opened an exhibit about Vashon and the Vietnam War.  It was dedicated to the 12 soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.  It will be open on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm.  This exhibit ends February 19, 2012 (2 more months).
**Sgt. Chris Gaynor from the 9th Infantry Division, 22nd Infantry Regiment put this exhibit together and is the curator. He was in III Corps area circa 1967.
Education, Jobs

Project Management Institute Scholarship

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The Puget Sound Project Management Institute  are generously offering Veterans 1 Project Management Professional (PMP) and 10 Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Scholarships.  These Certifications are in HIGH demand in the workforce and EVERY Veteran can benefit with these Certifications.

We highly encourage you to pass this onto your fellow Vets. A strong demand for this scholarship will result in more opprtunities across Washington State. So if Renton is too far to travel, be sure to send in an abundance of requests from your area to create demand in your location. This is a National Institute and they have members everywhere.

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Benefits, Education, Health, Jobs, Politics

President Obama pledges to help ‘the 9/11 generation’ of veterans.

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MINNEAPOLIS — President Barack Obama committed on Tuesday to taking care of what he called “the 9/11 generation,” vowing to spare Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ health, education and employment training programs from Washington’s budget ax.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/62324.html#ixzz1WXrkj1Md

Benefits, Education, Health, Jobs

New ‘reverse boot camp’ to prepare departing troops for civilian life

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Military officials will develop a “reverse boot camp,” with the goal of better preparing servicemembers who are leaving the military for civilian jobs or college classes. The program is part of a host of new initiatives announced by President Barack Obama on Friday to reduce unemployment among veterans.

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