Each year the National VFW sponsors two patriotic essay contests for youth and recognizes teachers for their role in guiding the citizens of the future.

Fountain Hills Post 7507, like the vast majority of the 77 VFW posts in Arizona, participates in the competitions. The student programs are Patriots Pen for middle school students and Voice of Democracy for high school students. The teacher program is the National Citizenship Teacher of the Year.

Each year VFW Posts nationwide and their Auxiliaries provide more than $3.1 million in college scholarships to high school students in addition to award money for the Patriot's Pen and Voice of Democracy programs to middle and high school students.

Fountain Hills Unified School District’s high school and middle school, the Fountain Hills Charter School and the Basis School in Scottsdale have participated in these national scholarship programs for a number of years through Fountain Hills VFW Post 7507 with excellent results.

Students, under watchful eyes of teachers and parents, spend hours researching and then writing essays. VFW Post 7507 members grade the essays, pick winners and forward to VFW Arizona District 4 for upper level competition. Winners at the District level are forwarded to VFW Department of Arizona for judging at that level with the winning essays going to the national VFW. The winners in each category at the state level are awarded with a trip to Washington D.C. in addition to scholarship money.

VFW Post 7507 winners and runners up follow. The high school program, “Voice of Democracy – Patriotic Audio Essay” had the theme “American History: Our Hope for the Future.”

Basis student Vilina Mehta placed first at the post, and fourth in district; FHUSD student Michael J. Suchanek, second at post, runner up at district; and FHUSD student Mikala A. Anderson, third place at post.

Patriots Pen, with the theme “America’s Gift to My Generation” winners were FH Charter School, Marc Reyes, first at post, fourth at district; FH Charter School, Victoria Sayka, second place at post, runner up at district; and FHCS, Gabriel Blanchard, third place at post, fourth place at district.

Post 7507 also recognized Debbie Fisher from the Charter School. She has participated with the VFW and played a significant part in all ceremonies at the Veterans Memorial. She was first place at post and runner up at district.

The topics for 2018-2019 are "Why My Vote Counts" for the Voice of Democracy essay contest and "Why I Honor the American Flag" for the Patriots Pen. Essays will be due at VFW Post 7507 in the fall of 2018, traditionally about the last day on October.