Looking for the spirit of America

Patriotism and the love of freedom are the foundation of America.

To honor this spirit, the Southeast Missourian is sponsoring the Spirit of America Award and will publish a Spirit of America edition on July 2 with stories about patriotic and veterans organizations.

Clubs and organizations may nominate individuals who best represent the spirit of America. The organization that nominates the winner will receive a $1,000 cash award.

A printable nomination form is available online. The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 18.

The five finalists will be named in the Spirit of America edition of the newspaper. The winner will be announced July 4 at Cape Girardeau's Libertyfest.

Readers can submit 250-word essays on the topic "Why I love America," to be included in the Spirit of America edition.

Essays can be sent to: Southeast Missourian, Sam Blackwell, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702, or by e-mail to sblackwell@semissourian.com.

The deadline for essays is June 24.