Page 7 - Talk of Tequesta - December '21
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The Talk Of Tequesta, Page 7
all abouT Kids
Local Students Named Winners Of Dog-Naming Contest
For The American Military Hero Dog Monument
Philanthropist Lois Pope Awards Winners $2,500 Each,
Plus $2,500 For The Two Winning Schools In Veterans Day Ceremony
Aurora Ashcraft, a fifth-grader at Jupiter Elementary entry that “each letter of the name represents a branch of
School in Jupiter, and Tyler LeClair, a seventh-grader at the Armed Forces: C represents Coast Guard, A represents
Eagles Landing Middle School in Boca Raton, have been Air Force, M represents Marines, A represents Army, and
selected as the winners of the dog-naming contest for the N represents Navy. That’s why I think Caman is the best
American Military Hero Dog Monument. name for this hero dog monument.”
LeClair picked the name Caman, explaining in his video Ashcraft chose the name Valor, explaining in her video
Tyler LeClair, Lois Pope, Aurora Ashcraft
entry that, “valor means having great courage in the face
of danger, especially in battle” and that “all the military
dogs who have helped in America’s wars and battles have
loyalty, bravery, companionship, and most of all, valor.”
In a ceremony on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 at the Tri-
County Animal Rescue, the site of the monument, the two
winners were saluted by philanthropist and nationally-
recognized disabled veterans advocate Lois Pope of
Manalapan.
Pope, who conceived and commissioned the creation
of the monument in partnership with American Humane,
and then created the contest in conjunction with the Palm
Beach County School District, presented each winner with
a check for $2,500. The students’ schools were also each
presented with a $2,500 check.
“This monument represents the unbreakable bond
between the courageous canines and the valiant warriors
who have served alongside each other in our Armed
Forces,” Pope said. “It is also a celebration of heroes –
those on two and four legs, those with hair and those with
fur. And it is a teaching tool – to educate people, from
elected officials to the general population, that heroes
come at both ends of the leash.”
Pope explained that military working dogs do so much,
from carrying out lifesaving missions and detecting
explosive devices, to searching areas that their human
handlers cannot get to and providing companionship, not
just in the cauldron of war but long after the battle is over.
“A great way to show them respect was to give the
dog on this monument a name deserving of the service
and sacrifice they have made. So the dog’s name will be
Caman Valor.”
The dog-naming contest, which was open to all
elementary and middle school students in the Palm Beach
County Public School District, received 125 entries.
The judges were Lois Pope; monument sculptor Austin
Weishel; Robert C. Miller, a board member of the Lois
Pope LIFE Foundation; Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and
CEO of American Humane; and Diana Fedderman, the
school district’s assistant superintendent for teaching and
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