05/27/2026
Congratulations to Sylvia! Sylvia entered an essay to the Elks Lodge Americanism Essay Contest and won 1st place in the local contest for $50; and 2nd place in the District for $80.
The prompt was "What does service to your country mean to you?
This is what she wrote: Service to my country means plenty of things to me. For example, it could mean community service and volunteering. Participating in things like Rake Up Boise, or giving time at food banks, and shoveling snow for someone who is unable to. Helping people is something anyone can do and sometimes it only takes 30 minutes out of your 8 hour day. But the thirty minutes you spend shoveling snow, or helping someone move can take a load off of their day, and can mean so much to them. Another example could be veterans and the military. Soldiers provide relief to people in natural disasters, and security. They also enforce laws and protect people’s personnel and property. Firefighting and policing is another great example. Risking your life for a stranger is something I will always respect. Imagine what a country would be like without police or fire fighting, or medical help. Voting can be another service to your country. Voting in ways like who you think will be the best for mayor, representative, etc. Your vote will always matter, and will always be counted as a service to your country. All of these examples make up great ways to serve a nation. Service is important to a safe, and moral country. This is what service to my country means to me.