Post 298 in Marion, Iowa, has found a variety of avenues of outreach into the community, one of those being its renewed commitment to the Oratorical Contest.
Over the years Post 298, like other Hawkeye State posts, has struggled to find contestants, according to Mary Clapp, Children & Youth Chairman. "Upon talking with teachers and students, we were told the best way to improve participation at the local level was to increase the award amounts," said Clapp. School officials told them that due to the length of time to write speeches, difficulty arose because of other commitments such as after school programs and part-time jobs. Post 298 decided to increase the cash award incentives.
Mary and her husband Karl Clapp, Commander of Post 298 were the organizers of the second district contest in Iowa the beginning of 2009. Post 298 had one contestant, whose second-place district finish earned him $500 for college.
Commitment to Children & Youth activities and Americanism projects are the order of the day for Post 298. Not only are post officials increasing publicity and their commitment to the Oratorical Contest, they also are involved with Boys State, the 5th grade Flag Essay Contest and other scholarship programs.
Post 298's involvement in the Oratorical Contest has been spreading to other local posts across Iowa. According to Kathy Nees, Department of Iowa Program Director, "The posts are really getting out there and promoting the contest and their winners."
Legionnaire Gerry Wegmann ran Post 298's local contest and is committed to making it even better through school visits. "I do plan on working toward getting myself into the classrooms in the upcoming fall. Persistence will pay dividends," Wegmann commented.
Without a doubt, Post 298 will continue its commitment to the Oratorical Contest and the other community outreach programs to help spread the word of their successes to other posts throughout Iowa.