America and Me

AMERICA & ME ESSAY CONTEST

Jenkins Insurance Group is a proud sponsor of the America & Me Essay Contest for 8th-grade students in Michigan. Founded by Jack Stucko in 1968, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan sponsors an annual statewide essay contest exclusively for eighth-grade students. The writing competition was originally created to encourage young students to explore their career aspirations and consider how their future roles can impact their community. Today, students submit inspirational stories honoring someone who has personally made a difference in their lives - a Michigan Hero.

For over 50 years, more than 500,000 eighth graders from hundreds of Michigan schools have entered the writing contest. As a sponsor, Farm Bureau Insurance has also earned 11 national awards from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to all eighth-grade students in Michigan enrolled in a public or private school. All essays must be submitted by a school (not by an individual) and each participating school can submit up to 10 essays total. Schools must register online or through a Farm Bureau Insurance agent prior to the contest deadline to be considered.

AWARDS

The America & Me Essay contest offers a variety of awards on both the local and statewide levels. In their first year of participation, schools receive a plaque where current and future first-place student’s names will be engraved and displayed. Three essays are chosen from each school and the first-place essays are then entered into a statewide competition. From there, the top ten essays are selected, and each statewide winner will receive both a plaque and medallion, a $1,000 cash award and an invitation to our awards celebration event. $1,000 is also awarded to each winner’s school, plus the potential of another $500 if the school is sponsored by a Farm Bureau Insurance agent.

Grass Lake School

A woman and a young boy smiling and holding a certificate of achievement inside a room with large windows, blinds, and posters on the wall.

Two women, one older and one younger, smiling and holding a certificate of achievement, in an office or classroom setting with books and American flags in the background.

A woman and a girl holding a certificate together and smiling in an office or store setting.

Three children holding certificates for the Odyssey of the Mind competition, standing indoors with an American flag behind them.

Columbia Central

Three teenagers standing outside a building, each holding a certificate and a black folder. They are smiling, and there is a glass door behind them.

A woman and a boy standing and kneeling in front of a brick building. The woman is holding a plaque and the boy is holding a certificate, celebrating an achievement outside a volunteer or community center.

Three students standing in front of Columbia school sign, holding awards and certificates, on a sunny day.