Two years ago we had an essay contest called Write On Essay Contest. We gave away four savings bonds to area public school students who participated.

The contest centered on what the students would do to make a difference in the community and what they hoped the city would look like upon their graduation.

The beauty of this is that all the area elementary schools allowed us to put posters in their building. Some put them up in each classroom. What a door into public schools and what a message to say while you are there.

The costs are very low because we simply purchased the savings bonds and printed color posters that a member donated for the schools. We did have some costs for frames and awards but we still managed to do everything for less than $150.

We have also done a press release in the paper and this has ran for several weeks leading up to the due date. The paper also printed pictures of the winners and an article that announced the recognition.

This is a great reminder that the church wants to impact the community and a great way to encourage education.