GEORGETOWN, Texas (Oct. 12, 2015)
You can “Help A Hero” take their next career step when you get a haircut at one of the more than 1,400 Sport Clips Haircuts locations across the U.S. now through Veterans Day, November 11. Sport Clips in local communities across the country will share the overall goal of raising $750,000 for the company’s annual fundraising program, Help A Hero, that provides scholarships to active-duty military and veterans. Sport Clips has partnered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) since 2007, creating the VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” program in 2013 to help service members and veterans in the next chapter of their lives. Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 of assistance to qualified individuals who have served in the military, are in need of financial assistance, and are pursuing an education at post-secondary institutions, including trade schools.
Donations to Help A Hero will be collected by Sport Clips stylists and other team members in-store and at local fundraising events. Sport Clips will also hold “The Biggest Haircut Day of the Year” on Veterans Day, when each store will donate a dollar from every haircut service to the VFW-administered scholarship program.
“Sport Clips and the VFW have awarded almost $1.2 million in Help A Hero scholarships to our nation’s heroes who are going to school to further their civilian careers,” says Sport Clips founder and CEO Gordon Logan, who is a U.S. Air Force veteran and lifetime member of the VFW. “Their time in the service was a sacrifice we can never really repay, but our gratitude and support through these scholarships is one way we can say ‘thank you.’ We appreciate the Sport Clips team members across the country who work hard every year to honor our military. And, we are grateful to our clients who make donations during their haircut service.”
U.S. Army Soldier Synovia Fairell says of her Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship, “As I transition into the civilian world, it is greatly appreciated to know that my sacrifices for the betterment of our country have not gone unrecognized. Being selected to receive this scholarship has encouraged me to diligently strive to complete my goals. Thanks to Sport Clips Haircuts and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, my load has just become a bit lighter.”
“America’s service members are sacrificing time apart from their loved ones, only to be faced with a tough job market and the harsh reality of unemployment when they return home,” said VFW National Commander John A. Biedrzycki Jr., a former educator and University of Pittsburgh graduate. “The Help A Hero Scholarship is essential to helping the VFW ensure returning servicemen and women have the necessary tools available to successfully transition to civilian life, ultimately achieving their educational and career goals.”
Sport Clips is the official haircutter of the VFW, and its Help A Hero program is just one of the many ways it supports active-duty military and veterans. To find out more, visit your local Sport Clips or SportClips.com.
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About Sport Clips Haircuts
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 by founder and CEO Gordon Logan and started franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, is ranked by Entrepreneur as one of the Top 10 ”Fastest-Growing Franchises” and ranks 36th in the “Franchise 500.” It is also ranked by FORBES as a “Top Ten Best Franchise” to buy for its investment category. With more than 1,400 Sport Clips stores, new locations open each month in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named as one of the “2016 Best for Vets: Franchises” by Military Times. Our “Help A Hero” program has raised more than $3 million to help deployed and hospitalized U.S. service members call home through the VFW’s Operation Uplink™ and to provide scholarships for veterans transitioning to a civilian career. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, and partners with numerous NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.
About The Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is a nonprofit veterans service organization comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is the nation's largest organization of war veterans and its oldest major veterans organization. With more than 1.7 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in more than 6,800 Posts worldwide, “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS.” The VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information or to join, visit our website at www.vfw.org.