Vet News: DeCA Announces 2006 Scholarships for Military Children Program

Washington, November 6, 2005 -- Money for college is "what’s cooking" at 268 military commissaries worldwide as the Scholarships for Military Children program begins its sixth year of rewarding academic excellence. Since its inception in 2000, the SFMC program has awarded $1,500 college scholarships to nearly 2,500 military children.

The recipe for success behind the scenes, Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) officials say, is the continued generosity of manufacturers and businesses that sell groceries in commissaries - and a growing number of donations by non-military-related organizations.

The program application period for the 2006 scholarship season opened Nov. 1 and remains open until Feb. 22, 2006, but donations have already started coming in. "I’ve been told by the administrators of the program that the first non-commissary-related business has made a donation," said Patrick B. Nixon, chief executive officer and acting director of the Defense Commissary Agency. The "First Watch" restaurants surrounding Kansas City in Missouri and Kansas are donating proceeds of $2,000 from a recent customer appreciation day.

Last year, students in the Future Business Leaders of America program at Jordan High School in Salt Lake City donated $10,000 to the program, and this year an organization in the San Francisco Bay-area is raising money through a golf tournament.

"These donations all show great support for military families," Nixon said. "First, from commissary industry members who have donated nearly $4 million over the last five years. And now, by average Americans who also want to help."

"Last year we also had about $11,000 donated by the general public in amounts ranging from $10 to $1,000," said Jim Weiskopf, vice president of communications for Fisher House Foundation, the non-profit organization that administers SFMC. "People come to our Web site to donate to Fisher House Foundation and they are increasingly selecting SFMC."

Public donations can be elected through a link at the official SFMC Web site at the Military Scholar Web site at http://www.militaryscholar.org or the Fisher House Foundation site at http://www.fisherhouse.org.

Applications for the 2006 scholarship program are available at any commissary worldwide, online at the Military Scholar Web site or through a link at http://www.commissaries.com, DeCA’s customer Web site. Eligibility and other information is also available at the Military Scholar Web site.

Applications, which must include an essay on why the applicant admires a great military leader (past or present), have to be turned in at a commissary by Feb. 22, 2006. At least one $1,500 scholarship will be awarded at every commissary location with qualified applicants.

The program is open to unmarried children under the age of 21 (23 if enrolled in school) of active duty personnel, Reserve, Guard and retired military. Eligibility will be determined using the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) database. Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are currently enrolled in the DEERS database and have a current ID card.

The applicant must be planning to attend, or already attending, an accredited college or university full-time in the fall term of 2006, or enrolled in a program of studies designed to transfer directly into a four-year program.

SOURCE:VNIS - Air Force Retiree News Service