Kindness and community action are important parts of any community, and now, those characteristics will be recognized in Guthrie through the Veterans of Foreign Wars student of the month program.
Through the program, the VFW will honor a worthy student every month with a certifi cate and a $25 gift to a locally owned business. The only criteria to be considered for nomination are being kind and communityoriented.
Meghan Norton, who came up with the Guthrie student of the month program, sent the forms to the schools and a few churches to give the community members access to nominate students.
“We’re hoping that teachers and administrators and clergy around town will take the time to see these kids and turn this in to us so that we can reward them,” Norton said.
Students nominated could still win the awards even if it isn’t in the month of nomination. In a scenario where multiple nominations are sent in one month, and none are in a separate month, the recognition will still happen.
“We don’t want to turn anyone away,” Norton said. “In other words, we want kids who are nominated to be recognized.”
When Norton brought forward the idea in a meeting about three weeks ago, she got the support to go through with the program. Kindness and community service are cornerstones of the Auxiliary, and by meeting these criteria, the opportunity for recognition is expected to expand in the community.
“This coming month in October will be our first month to receive nominations,” Norton said. “And everyone really liked it and agreed that there was a there was a place for this award in our community.”
As for the $25 gift, the VFW is open to the recognized student’s input.
“We really want to make the student feel like they’re important, and that they get some input on that,” Norton said.
For questions or to request forms, reach out to meghanknorton@gmail.com.