Mission Support Group Commander Col. Jason Knight and Exchange General Manager Bill Shoffner presented You Made the Grade third-place winner Josephine Simmons with a $500 gift card Jan. 18 in honor of her academic achievements.
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE – Fifth-grader Josephine Simmons says she has never won anything before.
That changed when she was chosen for the $500 third-place prize in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s worldwide You Made the Grade sweepstakes.
“It’s unbelievable,” she said. “I’ve got a couple of friends who are jealous.”
Josephine received her prize at a presentation Jan. 18 at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Exchange.
“The Seymour Johnson Exchange is honored to reward Josephine for her academic achievement,” said Exchange General Manager Bill Shoffner. “Military children like Josephine work hard to maintain their grades and succeed in school, and we hope this gift shows that her efforts paid off.”
First- through 12th-graders who maintain a B average or higher can enter the sweepstakes for a chance at a $2,000, $1,500 or $500 Exchange gift card. Josephine was randomly selected from nearly 600 entries.
“’People’ is one of our big priorities at Seymour Johnson, and [Josephine] is kind of representative of the people we have here that do really awesome things,” said Mission Support Group Commander Col. Jason Knight, who participated in the presentation. “We love teaming up with our [Exchange] partners to do great things like this to recognize our families and Airmen.”
Josephine, 10, is the daughter of Air Force Master Sgt. William Simmons and his wife, Sarah. Master Sgt. Simmons has served nearly 23 years in the Air Force. The family was recently assigned to Okinawa for six years and returned to the United States at the beginning of this school year.
Josephine says fellow military children who transfer from an on-installation school to a civilian one should have no trouble making friends or fitting in once they move.
“Not everyone at my new school is military,” Josephine said. “But no matter how different you think you are, you can find similarities with anyone.”
Josephine is more than just an excellent student. She loves to read, especially stories with magical elements, and her favorite series are Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. She is part of the Battle of the Books team, which challenges students to read a list of books provided by the school and compete against other teams in the school district.
Along with her passion for books, Josephine is a thoughtful sister and will be sharing her winnings with her two older sisters, who also entered the You Made the Grade sweepstakes this year and were surprised when Josephine won. But how are they splitting the money?
“I get two parts and they get one,” Josephine said.
For more information about the You Made the Grade program, students and guardians can contact the Seymour Johnson Exchange at 919-735-8511. Students can send You Made the Grade sweepstakes entry forms to:
You Made the Grade
PO Box 227398
Dallas, TX 75222-7398
Facebook-friendly version: The Exchange’s You Made the Grade sweepstakes third-place winner Josephine Simmons from Seymour Johnson AFB plans on sharing some of her $500 prize with her two older sisters.
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Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 61st-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.4 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Alexandra Pirkle, 214-312-2143 or [email protected].
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