The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting the families of junior enlisted military personnel, has awarded second place to Yorba Linda fourth-grader Kai Kough, age 9, in the National Guard category of ASYMCA’s annual art contest, sponsored by GEICO. Winners were announced at a luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Kai, the son Maj. Kris Kough of the U.S. National Guard and Jamie Kough, will receive a U.S. savings bond for the winning portrait of his and her family. Kai’s portrait was chosen from hundreds of submissions nationwide.
“With military personnel experiencing multiple deployments in recent years to both Iraq and Afghanistan, their families, and especially children, experience a host of unique challenges and stresses,” said ASYMCA National Executive Director Frank Gallo, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret). “The annual art and essay contest provide those children with a creative outlet that hopefully spurs dialogue between them, their parents, teachers and other adults who can help them cope with their parents’ deployment. At the same time, our contests promote the value of reading, writing and the arts. Each year’s entries are special, and this year is no exception.”
Each year, the ASYMCA invites children of U.S. service members to participate in the national ASYMCA art and essay contests. While promoting reading, writing and the arts, the contest provides young people with a medium to express the emotions and unique experiences and challenges they face growing up as children in the military.
For the art contest, elementary school children from all branches of the military are invited to submit a drawing that illustrates their military family. Essay contest entries about topics related to military families are accepted from students in grades 1-12.
ASYMCA announced 12 winners of the 2008 art contest (two from each branch of service) and 14 winners of the 2008 essay contest (two winners from six categories based on grade, plus two awards of honorable mention for high school students) at a luncheon on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. All winning artwork is featured on the annual Military Family Month Poster, which is distributed to Members of Congress and the Department of Defense, and displayed publicly throughout the year.
ASYMCA operates more than 150 program centers around the globe. The ASYMCA has consistently provided educational, recreational, social and spiritual programs to military members and their families since the Civil War. It has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for the second consecutive year and an A- rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy. The ASYMCA, an affiliate of the YMCA of the USA, is headquartered in Alexandria, Va.
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