Viera High School student Liam Hutchison interviews veterans at a 2025 Veterans Salute to promote the Patriotic Writing Contest of the afterschool Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club.
Patriotic Writing Contest
Boasts Over $1,000 in Student Prizes
Patriotic Writing Contest
Boasts Over $1,000 in Student Prizes
Boasts Over $1,000 in Student Prizes
By Liam Hutchison
Students around Brevard are submitting strong entries for the Patriotic Writing Contest sponsored by the largest veterans group in Florida and across the country and a retired school teacher-lifelong journalist. The contest honors local military and community legend Major General John Cleland, whose name in bronze adorns the four-lane Pineda Causeway bridge over the FEC Railroad, a marvel of engineering many thought could never be done. The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter at Indian River Colony Club seeks to help students satisfy a new hunger for patriotic “content” that encourages service to others. The contest helps kick off the celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday next year. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2025. Two Best Original Content awards will be given out at an after-school club kickoff at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 at Viera High School.
“I learned one thing quickly working alongside Maj. Gen. Cleland,” said Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club founder and teacher Linda Gaffey. “Whether you asked him for help or the other way around, once he collected input, sized up the objective, and decided on the plan to get there, you either got on board the plan and pushed, or got yourself run over. I thank God for men and women in the U.S. armed forces with that kind of drive to get things done and keep us free for the past 250 years.” Army Maj. Gen. Cleland held top leadership positions in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was a longtime MOAACC president and IRCC resident.
“We love that this contest reaches and engages the minds of young people,” said current MOAACC president Stephen Cusick, “because one of our missions is to ‘Pass the Torch and Light the Way’ for future generations to protect our country and keep us free.” Dream It, Do It! uses cognitive learning to research and find reliable sources for information for original content, rather than relying on the compliant, rote memorization of facts, and turns writing into videos and other popular content craved by social media sites.
Added past MOAACC president Stephen Bond, currently president of the Florida Council of Chapters of MOAA, “Our mission is also to encourage veterans to help other veterans and “Never Stop Serving,” Bond said. “Maj. Gen. Cleland is a perfect example of a life of service. Except in his case, he keeps going even after his life through this writing contest,” he added with a smile. “His watch is never ending.” Brevard’s MOAACC is the largest chapter in Florida, and Florida’s MOAA chapter membership is the largest in the country.
Students in grades 4-12 will vie for cash prizes of $500, $250, $100, and 10 “Best Original Content” awards of $25. The Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club will begin meeting soon at schools across Viera/Suntree and at-risk communities. Also known school-to-school as Artemis Academy, the STEM-focused approach to learning English Language Arts and vocational skills helps prepare students to excel in the space industry and beyond. For more information or to submit content for the writing contest, or to apply for a Content Creators Club slot, go to www.RelationSkillsforLife.org.
Liam Hutchison is a former writing student of Mrs. Gaffey at Viera Charter School and currently maintains an A in AP English at Viera High School, the highest-level of English offered to incoming ninth graders. He is the Bureau Chief for the Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club at VHS and an off-shore and deep-sea fishing aficionado.
Students around Brevard are submitting strong entries for the Patriotic Writing Contest sponsored by the largest veterans group in Florida and across the country and a retired school teacher-lifelong journalist. The contest honors local military and community legend Major General John Cleland, whose name in bronze adorns the four-lane Pineda Causeway bridge over the FEC Railroad, a marvel of engineering many thought could never be done. The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter at Indian River Colony Club seeks to help students satisfy a new hunger for patriotic “content” that encourages service to others. The contest helps kick off the celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday next year. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2025. Two Best Original Content awards will be given out at an after-school club kickoff at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 at Viera High School.
“I learned one thing quickly working alongside Maj. Gen. Cleland,” said Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club founder and teacher Linda Gaffey. “Whether you asked him for help or the other way around, once he collected input, sized up the objective, and decided on the plan to get there, you either got on board the plan and pushed, or got yourself run over. I thank God for men and women in the U.S. armed forces with that kind of drive to get things done and keep us free for the past 250 years.” Army Maj. Gen. Cleland held top leadership positions in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was a longtime MOAACC president and IRCC resident.
“We love that this contest reaches and engages the minds of young people,” said current MOAACC president Stephen Cusick, “because one of our missions is to ‘Pass the Torch and Light the Way’ for future generations to protect our country and keep us free.” Dream It, Do It! uses cognitive learning to research and find reliable sources for information for original content, rather than relying on the compliant, rote memorization of facts, and turns writing into videos and other popular content craved by social media sites.
Added past MOAACC president Stephen Bond, currently president of the Florida Council of Chapters of MOAA, “Our mission is also to encourage veterans to help other veterans and “Never Stop Serving,” Bond said. “Maj. Gen. Cleland is a perfect example of a life of service. Except in his case, he keeps going even after his life through this writing contest,” he added with a smile. “His watch is never ending.” Brevard’s MOAACC is the largest chapter in Florida, and Florida’s MOAA chapter membership is the largest in the country.
Students in grades 4-12 will vie for cash prizes of $500, $250, $100, and 10 “Best Original Content” awards of $25. The Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club will begin meeting soon at schools across Viera/Suntree and at-risk communities. Also known school-to-school as Artemis Academy, the STEM-focused approach to learning English Language Arts and vocational skills helps prepare students to excel in the space industry and beyond. For more information or to submit content for the writing contest, or to apply for a Content Creators Club slot, go to www.RelationSkillsforLife.org.
Liam Hutchison is a former writing student of Mrs. Gaffey at Viera Charter School and currently maintains an A in AP English at Viera High School, the highest-level of English offered to incoming ninth graders. He is the Bureau Chief for the Dream It, Do It! Content Creators Club at VHS and an off-shore and deep-sea fishing aficionado.