Lions Club Essay Topic: "What Could the America of Yesterday Teach the America of Tomorrow?"

Scholarship money is available to local high school students who can write and vocally present an award-winning essay titled "What Could the America of Yesterday Teach the America of Tomorrow?"

It's time for the 75th annual California Lions Student Speakers Contest. The purposes of the contest are:

• To provide an opportunity for competitive public speaking among students on a subject of vital interest to the contestants and to the American people as a whole.

• To stimulate self-expression and independent thinking.

• To present to the public through the student speakers contests the problems surrounding the maintenance of this commonwealth as a free nation.

• To consider the means at our disposal of meeting the present and future world problems.

The local contest will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11 and is open to all high school students. Scholarship amounts vary between local, district and area winners with the final winner receiving a $21,000 scholarship. The local Lions Clubs will award $75 to the local winner and $25 to each finalist, with the winners eligible to advance to zone, region and national contests.

Over the past 74 years, well over $2 million in scholarship money has been awarded to deserving students involved in all levels of the contest. The awarded scholarship funds have enabled students to attend prestigious schools and prepare themselves for an outstanding future. This year,  about $103,500 will be paid out in scholarships to the winning students.

Participating students must write their own speech on the subject given. It is to be between 5 and 10 minutes in length.

Information for students and teachers is now available at studentspeaker.md4lions.org. For more information, call the Cotati Lions Club at 707-533-7889. Contestants can also call 1-800-546-6634, or email admin@md4office.org.