A local fifth-grader has been selected to represent Pilot Mountain VFW and VFW Auxiliary Post 9436 in the 2021 Buddy Poppy Essay Contest.
Abram Richardson, 11, read his winning essay on the topic “the purpose of the Buddy Poppy and how it has affected my life” to VFW and Auxiliary members as part of their Feb. 11 meeting.
VFW Post Commander Van Cook and Auxiliary President Margie Nichols then presented Richardson with a certificate of appreciation and a monetary gift from each group.
The annual contest is open to area students ranging in age from 10-12 years old. Selected students may attend public, private, parochial or home schools. Students chosen to represent their local post go on to compete with other youth representatives from across the district and the state.
The name of the tiny handmade flowers references the classic poem, “In Flanders Fields,” by John McCrae. The official memorial flower of the VFW, each Buddy Poppy is assembled by disabled veterans and veterans with need in VA hospitals.
Abram is the son of Damion and Kara Richardson. His grandparents are E.W. and Effie Sue Utt of Pilot Mountain, Frank and Ro Pettway of Stuart, Virginia, and Lee Richardson and Kim Hopkins of Hilton Head, South Carolina. He is the great-grandson of Ruby Carrington of Hillsville, Virginia.
Abram is a fifth-grader at Pilot Mountain Elementary School. He is an Arrow of the Light Cub Scout and a member of the year-round Piedmont Aquatic Club swim team based in Pilot Mountain. Richardson is an active member of his church youth group, sings in the church choir and serves as vice-president of the Pilot Mountain Elementary School Student Council.
“The VFW and the VFW Auxiliary of Pilot Mountain Post 9436 are excited to have Abram representing the post,” Cook and Nichols noted in a joint statement. “We wish him the very best in this contest and in the future.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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