4/14/2015
Made of honor Gate House
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April 13. 2015 3:00PM
Made of honor Medal of Honor recipient Drew Dix was one of the presenters honoring southeastern Colorado students last week for their “We Honor” projects.
PUEBLO, Colo. Medal of Honor recipient Drew Dix was one of the presenters honoring southeastern Colorado students last week for their “We Honor” projects. Students in attendance and receiving an award, as well as a book with quotes from Medal of Honor recipients, included Shealie Schmidt, Alana Hill and Emily Noll from La Junta Intermediate School; Katie Preciado of Jefferson Intermediate School in Rocky Ford and Ethan Pope, Greer Mameda and Frederik Rickof of Swink Elementary School. Local students were honored for their “We Honor” projects at the Center for
Other winners (but not in attendance) included Emma Brown from Swink High School; Abigail Snyder and Alexis American Values. Pictured are back row Fernandez of Jefferson; Sean O'Neil and Paul Weber of Swink Elementary. Students were encouraged to participate in a voluntary assignment as part of the inaugural ‘We Honor Veterans’ contest to submit an essay, poem, or art project to show their appreciation for those who have served our country. The contest was promoted to rural communities in Otero, Crowley, Bent, Las Animas, Lincoln, and Pueblo counties. The extension of this contest complements the Center’s goal to provide programming to rural communities in Colorado. The program was sponsored by the We Honor Veterans Committee of the Arkansas Valley Hospice.
(left to right) Joe Aldaz, executive director of the Center for American Values; Medal of Honor recipient Drew Dix, founding donors Bernadette Padula and Kerry DeRose. Middle row (left to right) Greer Mameda, Ethan Pope, Frederik Rikhof, Shealie Schmidt. Front row (left to right) Emily Noll, Alana Hill and Katie Preciado.
The awards ceremony was held at the Center for American Values on the Riverwalk in Pueblo. The Center for American Values' focus is “to develop good character and leadership skills in the next generation of emerging citizenleaders.” Drew Dix, originally from Pueblo and a Medal of Honor recipient, is one of the cofounders of the center. According to the Center's website, “It was out of Dix’s deep commitment to America that the Center’s mission was born. The mission stems from his personal desire for all generations to understand and never lose sight of sacrifices made by civilians and veterans alike to elevate America as the greatest Country in the world.” During the ceremony, students learned that over 40 million people have served in the military, but only 3,500 Medals of Honor have been presented to people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. “Ordinary men doing extraordinary things.” Presenters said the idea behind the program is to “inspire students to go into the real world and make right decisions.” http://www.lajuntatribunedemocrat.com/article/20150413/NEWS/150419960/1994/NEWS?template=printart
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