Courtesy photo
Madeline Bennett, pictured with John Stroud, sang the National Anthem and earned an award for speech from the VFW’s Voice of Democracy scholarship contest.

At the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Mid-Winter Conference, held at the Nugget in Reno, local teen, Madeline Bennett was honored on two levels. Bennett sang the National Anthem at this prestigious banquet sharing, “I have sung it so many times before, but this time it meant something special as I sang it from the heart to the Veterans that had sacrificed so much for this country.”

Her second accolade began with the VFW’s Voice of Democracy scholarship contest held last year. She submitted a recorded, oral speech, based around the theme of “Our Hope For the Future”. Bennett won the local VFW 2313 Post, District 4, in December, with encouragement from John Gavin, Mineral County High School Counselor.

Her local win took her to other levels, with a January state-level finale dinner. This evening had her sitting her beside dignitaries and receiving a runner-up honoree plaque and a monetary reward for her winning efforts.