Freedom Library honors Yuma students, promotes civil conversation, civic learning

At Trinity United Methodist Church, the Freedom Library turned a student awards night into a lesson in civic life, honoring local participants who completed its classes and sending some home with academic scholarships and travel seminar opportunities.

The 30th Annual Awards Forum was held Tuesday night at 3030 S. 8th Avenue in Yuma, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the program running from 7 to 9 p.m. The organization also asked attendees to bring non-perishable food for the Yuma Community Food Bank and Crossroads Mission, tying the forum to two local agencies that help families and people in crisis across Yuma County.

The Freedom Library’s Education and Scholarship Program offers 12-week spring and fall classes on the U.S. Constitution and economics. Students age 14 and older who complete the scholarship classes can earn up to two $1,000 awards per class, one sent as a monetary scholarship to the participant’s educational institution and the other as a travel scholarship for a week-long seminar outside Yuma. The group also runs a youth class for children ages 8 to 13 so younger students can prepare for the scholarship program later.

That pipeline of instruction and incentives gave the forum its practical weight. In a county where school issues, politics and public debate often overlap, the event was more than a ceremony. It was a reminder that the Freedom Library is trying to build a civic lane for students, not just hand out recognition. By pairing scholarships with travel seminars, the organization is giving young people a chance to see constitutional ideas and leadership training beyond Yuma.

Retired U.S. Army Ranger Captain Barry D. Todd delivered the evening’s central message. Todd, who served 21 years in the Army, was honored in 2023 as a Distinguished Member of the Rangers for contributions to Ranger training and also serves as CEO of Invicta Financial Group. His remarks centered on freedom, honor and the need to listen before reacting, urging the audience to pay attention to the substance of what is being said instead of shutting people down over tone alone. He also pointed to the freedoms Americans enjoy that are denied in many other parts of the world, framing civil disagreement as part of responsible citizenship rather than a threat to it.

The Freedom Library says its mission is to promote understanding and acceptance of the Freedom Philosophy and the liberty principles rooted in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Tuesday’s forum showed how that mission plays out in Yuma: students are rewarded for study, and the wider community is asked to practice the kind of conversation that keeps disagreement from becoming division.