LAYON — Jamal Braxton, a student at Northridge High School, has been named one of 36 finalists in Operation Homefront’s 2017 Military Child of the Year award.
The annual awards recognize seven outstanding young people. Six of them between the ages of 8 to 18 represent a branch of the armed forces — the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard — for their scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement and other criteria while facing the challenges of military family life. Braxton is a finalist in the Air Force category.
The seventh award, open to those 13 to 18, is the Military Child of the Year Award for Innovation, which recognizes the power of innovative thinking. Examples include a new invention, improvement to existing technology or creation of a new nonprofit.
Winners will be announced in March and will be honored at a gala in Washington, D.C., on April 6, where high-ranking military leaders will present the awards.
The six armed services branch winners will receive $10,000 each, a laptop computer and other donated gifts, as well a trip to Washington, D.C., with a parent or guardian for the gala. The recipient of the Military Child of the Year Award for Innovation will receive a $5,000 cash award and a trip to the gala.
Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable and secure military families so they can thrive in the communities that they’ve worked to protect.