GEORGETOWN, Texas
Even in a pandemic, veterans are returning from active military duty to prepare for civilian careers that require them to return to school for additional education and training…often beyond what is covered financially by the GI Bill. To make educational expenses less of a burden on service members, anyone can “Help A Hero” by getting a haircut at participating Sport Clips Haircuts now through December 5.
New for this seventh year of the Help A Hero scholarship program is a "text to donate" option. By texting "HERO" to 71777, donors can donate directly to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Foundation that administers the VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” program. Also new, the Sport Clips Clean Certified promise that stores will offer updated, next-level cleanliness and safety precautions for clients who come in for a haircut and donate via the store's kiosk.
More than 1,750 military and student veterans have benefitted from Help A Hero Scholarships through the nearly $8 million donated to date by Sport Clips Haircuts and its generous clients and product partners. These scholarships provide up to $5,000 of assistance per semester per family to help cover the cost of tuition and fees for service members and veterans in the rank of E-5 and below.
"Supporting our nation's military remains a priority for our veteran-founded business," says Edward Logan, president and CEO of Sport Clips. “Even though all of our stores were temporarily closed to meet state and local COVID-19 mandates, almost all Sport Clips locations are open again, stylists are working hard to make clients comfortable and excited to return to their normal haircut routine, and we are honored to once again support the Help A Hero program for those who have given so much for us. We're grateful to our franchisees, team members, and clients who faithfully support these important scholarships."
“Since the start of the pandemic, the VFW and its allies have worked tirelessly to guarantee our support programs remained operational,” said Hal Roesch II, VFW national commander. “The pandemic’s impact has been far reaching, especially for our military and veteran families, and this campaign helps to ensure we can continue to provide as many student veterans with scholarships as possible.”
Many Sport Clips locations will offer free haircuts on Veterans Day November 11 to service members and veterans with valid military identification, but it is important to check here for participating stores and store hours. Also on Veterans Day, the company donates an additional dollar for every haircare service to the scholarship program, which added $100,000 to the total raised last year. Help A Hero scholarships are awarded twice a year to help cover the cost of tuition and fees. Scholarship applications are currently being accepted through November 15 for the 2021 spring semester. Apply for a Help A Hero scholarship here today.
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About Sport Clips Haircuts
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and is ranked by Forbes as “Best Franchise to Buy” in the medium investment category and named a 2020 Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review. There are more than 1,800 Sport Clips stores open 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 a 2019 Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed nearly $8 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR drivers Erik Jones, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin; Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Indy Car driver Santino Ferrucci; and partners with 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 the nation's largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally-chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.5 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in 6,200 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.