The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 991 of Palestine concluded their Spring Fundraising Drive at the regular June Meeting. The winners of the three prizes were notified by telephone of their good luck. The winners of the top two prizes received their weapons this past Tuesday from Buffalo Sporting Goods.
  The top prize, a Henry Big Boy carbine, was won by Renee Jones from Alma. Renee is the niece of the late Joseph Smith of Elkhart. Mr. Smith had been an active member of VVA Chapter 991. Renee purchased five tickets. She is an MRI Technician at Altima Diagnostics.
  The second place prize, a Kimber Ultra Carry II 9mm, was won by Gary Johnson from Palestine. Gary is retired from construction work in the local area. He purchased five tickets during our sales event at Tractor Supply in April.
  Third place, a $500 gift card, was won by Lloyd Johnson of Pasadena, TX. Mr. Johnson also purchased his winning tickets at the Tractor Supply sales event. His prize was delivered by mail.
VVA Chapter 991 conducts two major fundraising campaigns during the year. The primarily goal of the campaigns are to support the Chapter’s scholarship program. Normally, four to six scholarships worth $1,000 apiece are awarded each year to students for the fall and spring semesters.
The Chapter has awarded in excess of $100,000 in scholarships over the duration of the program. The awards are given to students who have a Vietnam veteran in their family. Another requirement is that the veteran must live within the East Texas area supported by Chapter 991 – Anderson, Cherokee, Freestone, Henderson, Houston, Leon, and Limestone Counties.