- August 3, 2026
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When 18-year-old Kaiya Peters was working a Buddy Poppy fundraiser with VFW Braden River Post 12055 on Nov. 8, she was encouraged to get out of her comfort zone.
During the fundraiser, at a Lakewood Ranch Publix, poppies are handed out to raise money during Memorial Day and Veterans Day weekends. Peters asked several store employees if they wanted to make a donation for a poppy. She would not have done so on her own, but working with the veterans gave her enough confidence to do so.
“(The veterans) open our eyes to help us remember that freedom isn’t free, and that life has so much to offer us,” Peters said. “(They tell us) to dream big and work for it. Even after the military, they continue to serve. All of the veterans at VFW Post 12055 are people to look up to.”
Post Commander Dave Daily, who served 24 years in the Army, including a deployment to Iraq, said he is a strong supporter of continued service. He said his service didn’t end when he took off the uniform.
VFW Post 12055 works with local students in various ways, which include providing volunteer opportunities, scholarships, essay contests and more. (The VFW members) were honored at the School District of Manatee County board meeting June 9.
Since 2008, $74,000 in scholarships have been awarded to students at Braden River High School and Lakewood Ranch High School. This year, six students were awarded scholarships, each receiving $2,000 at the post meeting May 20.
The Leo Perisian Scholarship award winners were Braden River High School graduates Peters, Dianna Cruz and Holden Kirchberg.
Lakewood Ranch High School graduates who were awarded the George Cumming Scholarship were Tatum Coleman, Gino Tambe and Tyler Owens.
Cruz was also one of the winners of the Voice of Democracy Essay Contest for the 2024-25 school year. She said she cherished working with the veterans through volunteer events and loves how the post encourages students to use their voices, whether it be through an essay or out in the community.
“Being able to engage in selfless service with the veterans outside of school and seeing them support the battalion endlessly reminds me of why I want to help my community in the first place — to leave places better than I found them,” Cruz said. “It’s truly an honor to work with the post.”
Owens said the VFW has been a crucial part of his high school JROTC experience. He appreciates how no matter how busy the post might be, he could always count on its support. He was in regular contact with Daily to make sure he was taking advantage of volunteer projects.
Owens received a Bright Futures scholarship that will cover his tuition, and he is extremely thankful for the George Cumming Scholarship to cover other costs.
Michael Massmann, the senior Army instructor of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Braden River High School, is also a member of the post. He said JROTC assists the students become better citizens. He said the VFW drives that idea home.
“The kids get so much out of just talking to veterans and having discussions with them about real world stuff,” Massmann said. “It might start off as ‘What you do in the military?’ but a lot of times it's the veterans who are asking (the students) questions.”
The work of the post goes beyond giving students volunteer opportunities and scholarships. Some members attend every home football game at Braden River High School where they raise the flag during pregame ceremonies and they attend Freedom Elementary School’s Let Freedom Ring event every year which also includes raising the flag and teaching the students about it.
Heritage Harbour’s Bill Jackson, a charter member who joined the post when it was first created in 2006, said he is grateful for the opportunity to share the meaning of the flag and the colors and stars.
“Most of those kids will not go on and become soldiers, but they're all Americans,” Jackson said. “Some of them will remember what we've taught them.”
Graham Ellis, a 21-year Navy veteran and member of the post since 2013, said he appreciates seeing how much students grow throughout their time in the school system.
“The kids are our future and they are the reason that we are here now,” Ellis said. “It's the things that we have done that have helped create America the way it is now, and supporting them provides them the opportunity to have a great future.”
