Help A Hero is now one of the "top-awarding" programs of its kind
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
A $1.25 million donation by Sport Clips Haircuts to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation will boost the impact of the Help A Hero Scholarship program that supports education for civilian careers. Sport Clips Founder and CEO Gordon Logan, who is a veteran and VFW Life member, presented the million-dollar-plus check to VFW National Commander William “Doc” Schmitz today at the VFW National Headquarters.
"There's a common misconception that GI Bill benefits and military training are enough to secure education or training for civilian occupations, but that's often not the case. For many service members, additional degrees and certifications are needed to secure sought-after post-military work. There are 165 student veterans attending colleges and certification programs right now with the aid of Help A Hero Scholarships and more than 1,450 student veterans have benefited from these scholarships since 2014. This year's fundraising will make even more scholarships available to U.S. service members and veterans in the year ahead," says Logan. "We are so grateful to the men and women who serve, and to their families, and we owe the success of the Help A Hero campaign to our generous Sport Clips clients, team members, and product partners. It's an honor to say 'thank you' to them all."
“To date, the program has awarded more than $6.5 million in scholarships, which places it among the top-awarding service member and veteran scholarship programs in the country," said Schmitz. "Higher education doesn't come easily to all of our student veterans. It often takes the support of scholarships or burdensome loans beyond what the GI Bill covers to get the education needed for meaningful careers as they transition from military service. Working with veteran-friendly companies such as Sport Clips is one way we can help make the transition from service member to the civilian world easier for veterans and their families."
More than $120,000 of the money was raised from Sport Clips’ own $1 per haircare service donation made on Veterans Day while clients, individual supporters and Sport Clips team members donated the largest portion of the money raised. Sport Clips partners Direct Beauty Express, American Crew, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Nioxin, Sexy Hair, Gibs Grooming and Darlington Raceway also made substantial contributions.
The Help A Hero program started in 2007 when Sport Clips first worked with the VFW to provide phone calls home for deployed and hospitalized service members and veterans. After the drawdown in troops began a few years later, the partnership transitioned in 2013 to become the VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” program.
Sport Clips is the Official Haircutter of the VFW, and its Help A Hero campaign 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.