Fisher House Awards over $1 million in Scholarships

Fisher House Awards over $1 million in Scholarships

05.15.13

FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION’S SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MILITARY CHILDREN PROGRAM MARKS 13TH YEAR WITH $11 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

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670 students awarded this year totaling over $1 million in scholarship funds

 

Rockville, MD [May 8, 2013] – Six hundred and seventy exemplary students will be awarded over $1 million in scholarships this July as part of the Scholarships for Military Children program. In recognition of the contributions military families have made, this scholarship program celebrates the role of the commissary in the military family community. Each recipient this year was awarded a grant of $1,500, totaling over $1 million to military children.

 

Fisher House Foundation, Inc. partners with the Defense Commissary Agency to administer the merit-based program. Funds raised for the scholarship program come from vendors who sell their products to the military through the commissary system. Fisher House Foundation underwrites all expenses for the program, to include contracting with a professional firm that evaluates the applications.

 

“Supporting this program is an investment in education,” said Jim Weiskopf, a Vice President with Fisher House Foundation. “It is an investment in the military quality of life and an investment in our future.”

 

Matthew Schneck, a recipient of this year’s Scholarships for Military Children, is a senior at Prince George High School in Virginia and is ranked number one in his class with a 4.88 GPA. The son of an Army veteran with over 20 years of service to this nation, Matt expressed his excitement for his future – a career in medicine.

 

“It is truly an honor to have been selected as a scholarship recipient,” Schneck said. “I have found the compass that will help me travel in the right direction – to my ultimate goal of becoming a trauma surgeon. I enjoy spending time in hospitals and volunteering with disabled veterans.”

 

The Scholarships for Military Children program is now in the 13th year. Thanks to the generosity of the Defense Commissary Agency business partners, over 7,500 students have been awarded over $11 million in scholarship funds.

 

More information, including the recipients of this year’s awards, and sponsoring companies can be found at www.militaryscholar.org.

 

About Fisher House

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment.  These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths.  Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room.  Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a fee.  Since inception, the program has saved military and Veteran families an estimated $200 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

 

Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge.  The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled Veterans. 

www.fisherhouse.org