VFW Announces Spring Scholarship Recipients

Program awards scholarships totaling more than $768,000 to 172 student veterans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is proud to announce its “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” program has surpassed awarding $5.7 million in scholarships to nearly 1,300 military and student veterans. The latest award of more than $768,000 will now help ensure 172 student veterans can continue their higher education classes this upcoming spring semester.

“The Post-9/11 GI Bill was a great piece of legislation that was made even better with the passage of the Forever GI Bill,” said VFW National Commander B.J. Lawrence, whose organization championed both pieces of legislation through Congress. “But higher education is expensive, and oftentimes 36 months of benefits isn’t enough for new veterans to fulfill their educational goals,” he said. “I’m very proud that the VFW can help change the lives of 172 student veterans this semester, something that wouldn’t have been possible without the staunch support and generosity of Sport Clips founder and VFW Life member Gordon Logan, who just last month donated $1.35 million to help continue this one-of-a-kind scholarship program.”

Established in 2014, the Help A Hero Scholarship program awards service members and veterans with post-secondary scholarships of up to $5,000 to help them achieve their educational goals without the burden of student loan debt.

“This scholarship is a lifeline,” said Brenna Wakefield, a student at Stanford University and a spring 2019 scholarship recipient. “Had I not been given the last scholarship from your organization, I would have potentially lost my housing on campus for this summer … so scholarships like this are crucial for my success. I honestly can’t thank your organization enough for not only giving scholarships to veterans, but for also providing an opportunity for us to apply for one.”

“I currently am using the Post-9/11 GI Bill which covers 50 percent of my tuition and the other 50 percent is covered by student loans,” said scholarship recipient Amanda Landwehr, a student veteran at Nova Southeastern University. “This scholarship will help to reduce the amount of student loans that I need to take out, as well as allowing me to work less during the semester so that I can focus on my studies.”

Help A Hero scholarships are awarded twice a year to help cover the cost of tuition and fees of service members and veterans in the rank of E-5 and below. Scholarship applications are currently being accepted for the 2019 fall semester. Apply for a Help A Hero scholarship today.