Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge

April 15, 2017

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge 2017 Awards

Pensacola Chapter Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge

The Pensacola Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge presented awards to the following Pensacola Citizens for their outstanding community involvement:

Adult Community – George Washington Honor Medal

Frank Emond – A Lifetime of Doing Good

Sarah Seelman and Jaque Taylor – Giving Back: Quilters Support Community and Honor Vets Through the Final Salute

Information Warfare Training Command, CDR Christopher Eng, USN and School District of Escambia County, Malcolm Thomas, Superintendent – Saturday Scholars

Youth Community – George Washington Honor Medal

Freedoms Foundation Valley Forge — Award accepted by her parents

Madeline Bookout – World War II Oral Histories

Tyler Carach – I DONUT need a reason to Thank a Cop

Jessica Hatton – McDonald House

Casey Scott – The Currie House

Educator – George Washington Honor Medal

Steve Tuley – Teaching through Drama

Public Communications – George Washington Honor Medal

The Appleyard Foundation, Dick Appleyard

The University of West Florida Historic Trust, Robert Overton, Exec. Dir.

The John Appleyard Storytelling Cottage

Jill Hubbs – They Were Our Fathers

Youth Essay – George Washington Honor Medal on Ribbon

Ethan Besemer, Dakota Fulton, Savannah Hush, Destiny Lewis James Todd, Alexander Wilson

Youth Essay – Certificate

Donald Reyes, Ricora Jones, Tierra Gooden, Caeley Farrior, William Kane,

Liberty Bell Award – Adult Community

Petty Officer First Class David D. Hernandez, USN

Navy Participation in Community Events

Liberty Bell Award – Special Events

The Northern District of Florida U.S. District Court

Naturalization

Lifetime Achievement- American Eagle on Stand

Pam Schwartz

“Life is a gift which is better when shared.”

Rusty Buggy Enterprises provided documentary coverage of this event and has created a DVD capturing the event. Order your copy to relive the event over and over.

May 6, 2016

George B. Dodge, Sr. Recipient of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge National Award

US Navy veteran, George B. Dodge, Sr., is the recent recipient of the Pensacola Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge national award, “The George Washington Honor Medal,” for his extensive work in building the Pensacola Veterans Day Parade to the level at which it was recognized by the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C. as a “Regional Veterans Day Site.” He built the Pensacola Veterans Day Parade from a paltry 128 people in 2010 to nearly 3,000 participants in 2013.

Dodge worked for three years as a Veteran’s Advocate with the Gulf Coast Veterans Advocacy Council. This Freedom Foundation Honor also recognizes his many efforts in the Escambia County community in park restoration, significant blood donations to One Blood of Florida, and his leadership as President of the AHEPA Pensacola Charitable Foundation, Inc. which awards scholarships to worthy students seeking to attend college or who are attending college. Under his leadership as President of AHEPA, Daphne Chapter 296, he brought a very successful National Convention to Pensacola for the first time in over a half century.

Dodge worked with Boy Scouts of America, Troop 432, for over twenty years. He was assistant scout leader helping with badges and camp outs. He was awarded the Marion C. Leach Conservation Award. He is also a member of the Order of the Arrow.

His public service works through his own 501 (c) 3 as founder and President of “First Nations Intertribal Association, Inc.” took Dodge to many of the US Native American reservations as well as Guatemala and Honduras. While there, Dodge delivered clothing, appliances, medical and school supplies to those in need. He was the only one to bring hurricane relief to the Chitamacha Chocktaw people of Louisiana following devastating hurricanes in 2005 and 2006. He also assisted in preparations for Hurricane Ivan in Escambia County, FL in 2004. Following that devastation he chain-sawed many dangerous trees and tree limbs away from homes and streets and distributed food and water to those in need. He was recognized by Florida’s governor, Charlie Crist, with the “Governor’s Points of Light” Award in 2008.

George B. Dodge, Sr. joined the Greek Fraternal organization “American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA)” in 2008 and served as President for three years and Vice President for one year. He worked with Jodie Butler who founded the “Meals of Honor” program, which feeds homeless veterans, to make it a part of the Greek Fraternity “AHEPA” in 2013. During his tenure with AHEPA Dodge earned the District One Chapter President of the Year Award, the District One Distinguished Service Award, the Chapter 296 Community Service Award, the Service to Chapter Award, the Leadership in Church Award, and the Lifetime Marital Devotion Award. He is also a founding member and fifth year President of the “AHEPA Pensacola Charitable Foundation, Inc.”

Dodge is also an active member of the prestigious “Thunderbird Honor Guard” based in Fort Walton Beach, FL. This Native American Honor Guard presents and retires “Colors” at special public events.

Dodge entered the University of West Florida in 2003 to earn his third Masters Degree. During his tenure he wrote, promoted, directed and performed in his first (and very successful) play “Native American Heritage Theater,” organized a two day “Native American Festival” which was the largest festival of it’s kind ever accomplished on the University of West Florida Campus, and established the university recognized student organization, “First Nations Intertribal Student Organization of UWF.”

In 2004, he organized the first of many Mission Trips to Native American Reservations. The first of these trips was to the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Dodge earned the “University Of West Florida Presidents Leadership in Diversity Award” upon graduation with an MA degree. It is worthy of note that there is only one of these honors presented per year. Also the festival he created at UWF continues to be part of the annual “Festival On The Green” tradition at this University. He also has aided Mayan Indian People of Guatemala with school supplies and delivered clothing to the poor of Honduras. A book written by Robert and Billie Nicholson, The Cheyenne Sisters Mission, details one of his trips.

Dodge is currently the “Veteran’s Service Officer,” the “Veteran’s Day Parade Director,” and the director of the “Corpsman Unit” with the Corporal J.R. Spears Detachment #066 of the Marine Corps League of Pensacola, Florida, beginning 2015.

February 11, 2016

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge 2016 Awards

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge – Pensacola Chapter

Patriotic members of the Pensacola community were recognized at the 2016 Annual Awards Banquet of the Pensacola Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Over two hundred guests, including Pensacola’s Mayor Ashton Hayward, attended the event held at Heritage Hall in Seville Quarter on January 26th..

“The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, founded in 1949, celebrates the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights and their relevance to our daily lives. Their goal is to educate and inspire students and their teachers with the words, meaning and emotion that these founding documents convey. The organization utilizes interactive programs that explore our history and debates that focus on Constitutional concepts in this changing world. Each year, the Pensacola Chapter sends high school juniors to participate with the more than 3,000 students from across the country who visit the historic Valley Forge campus to learn about America. The Foundation immerses students in a living history educational experience, that engages them in topics critical to the future of freedom.” (www.freedomsfoundationpensacola.org)

Connie Brown, Vice president of Youth Programs, introduced the six Youth Conference Scholarship winners: Alex Wilson, Ethan-Magnus Redning-Hubbard, David Harrison, Chloe Stibolt, Destiny Lewis, and Dakota Fulton

Adult Community – George Washington Medal

Petty Officer First Class Alexanna C. Williams, USN received the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge National award for her work directing community volunteerism and leadership among the enlisted personnel stationed on board NAS Pensacola. She is also a recent recipient of the Navy League’s Margaret Flowers Award for personal volunteerism.

Captain Lee Little Hansen, USN, (Ret.) dreamed of and developed a class room program to introduce local students to other cultures. Her program, The Global Corner School Passport creates i n-class curriculum that engages students through hands-on activities and discussions to introduce them to other countries and prepares them for a global world and economy. (The Global Corner)

Chief George Burton Dodge, Sr. “White Antelope” received the George Washington Honor Medal for his work as an advocate for Native Americans, Veterans and the local Greek non-profit – AHEPA.

Youth Community – George Washington Honor Metal

Pine Forest High School student, Stefan Pressley was honored for working to collect funds to purchase new shoes for his school track team and emulating the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pensacola High School International Baccalaureate students, Tristan Wu, William Langhorne, Ariel Noethlich, and Scott McGaugh developed the BackPackUSA program to give backpacks of food to elementary students for them to eat over the weekend – Sponsored by the Escambia County School District Maintenance Department, the Backpack Project’s primary focus is providing food for disadvantaged children in Escambia County elementary schools in order to alleviate stress in our community and allow these children to focus on their studies to create a solid foundation for their futures. Their secondary objective is to raise awareness of childhood hunger and heighten a sense of unity in our communities through public events and activities.

Public Communications – George Washington Honor Medal

The Pensacola News Journal published a fifteen part World War II Seventieth Anniversary Series written by journalist, Marketta Davis. (Lisa Reese, President/Publisher and Lisa Nellessen-Lara, Executive Editor) “I was in awe talking to these great American Heroes,” said Ms. Davis.

Special Events – George Washington Medal

The Juan Sebastian de Elcano Society hosted the Spanish Naval Training Ship, Juan Sebastian de Elcano visit to Pensacola. Dame Maria Davis and Collier Merrill, co-chairpersons, Fiesta of Five Flags accepted the award.

Heroes Among US monthly programs presented by The Marine Corps League: Corporal J.R. Spears Detachment 066 honoring US Military Veterans.

Educator – George Washington Medal

Lauren Samoszenko, civics teacher at Ransom Middle School, received the National Educator award.

Youth Essay – George Washington Honor Medal

JCDR Cassandra Harrison, NJROTC at Escambia High School received the National Essay Award. The topic for the essay was “Combating Apathy”. As the commander of the junior Reserved Officer Training program at Escambia High school, she had her work cut out for her to keep her cadets motivated.

Youth Essay Certificate

Students, Saraiah Morgan, Christopher Gibson, and Alexander Apin were finalists in the Youth Essay.

Adult Community – Liberty Bell Award

Charles Gould, received the Pensacola Chapter Liberty Bell award for his volunteer work using his private plane in Angel Flights transporting patients and transplant organs in the South East USA.

Artist, Anne Clapsadl, received the Pensacola Chapter Liberty Bell award for her talented contributions creating center pieces for Pensacola Chapter events. Anne’s award was a surprise to her. Family and friends did an outstanding job of keeping a secret.

Public Communications – Liberty Bell Award

Composer, Allen Pote and Dr. Jack Flemming and his wife, Carolyn Fleming received the Pensacola Chapter award for Seaplane An All American Musical. This musical, performed around the country, was recently revised and performed at the Saenger Theater in Pensacola.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Pensacola’s favorite story teller, John Appleyard, was honored with the Chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr Appleyard has spent many years researching and preserving Pensacola’s historical stories. Born in 1922, this nonagenarian still goes to his office in the John Appleyard Agency every day. An avid historian, he has penned over a dozen books.

“Pensacola at the turn of the century was a very different city from most Southern cities at the time. We had the lumber industry, fishing, the Navy yard. Pensacola was growing like a weed. And you can transpose hardly anything from the past onto [modern times]. So my determination on doing mysteries is that I want people to remember what it was like. That’s why in these short stories, I like to sneak history lessons into each one. So they have a dual purpose — history and mystery,” he said.

February 12, 2015

Reading is Fundamental Presidents Day Event at Barnes & Noble

Program Celebrating Presidents Day

Pensacola, FL – Local officials including the Mayor of Pensacola, Ashton Hayward, and Escambia County Superintendent of Schools, Malcolm Thomas, will participate in a special Presidents Day read-along for children and adults at the annual Presidents Day Book Fair at Barnes & Noble in Pensacola on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Benefits Reading is Fundamental

The Free event, which benefits the Reading Is Fundamental literacy program for children by providing free books to children in impoverished areas, begins at 2:00 PM, at the Barnes & Noble store in Pensacola located at 1200 Airport Blvd.

Student readers chosen from Ferry Pass Middle School, Newpoint Pensacola Academy and Bellview Middle School will read story excerpts about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Special guests will include Secret Service Agent Jonathan Woolcock and former Washington, DC Police Officer and US Marshall Robert Nicholson.

Programs like Reading is Fundamental are Critical

“Programs like this one are so important to our community.” says Superintendent Thomas. “Putting a book in the hand of a child means transforming the life of that child and everyone around them.”

A talk about the American Presidency and the President’s job will be given by Mike Clapsadl, Co-President of the Pensacola Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Boy Scout Troop 628 Honor Guard will post colors at the program with bugle calls provided by Military Bugler, Scotty Mills.

James Loyd, Community Relations Manager for Barnes & Noble, says his staff are always excited about these events with Reading Is Fundamental. Free books and prizes will be provided for children who attend the event dressed as their favorite President.

Note: The opportunity to learn to read for every child in the United States has become a critical issue in the success of our education programs. Reading is Fundamental (RIF) is the largest and most effective literacy program in the United States. Each year RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books together with literacy resources for impoverished children from birth to age 8 years. In addition to schools, RIF provides books to shelters, HEADSTART programs and rural areas. www.rif.org

Story Credit: Dianna Roberts