GEORGETOWN, Texas, Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sport Clips Haircuts' annual "Help A Hero" scholarship campaign starts today, and you can be a part of the mission to help service members and veterans take the next step toward civilian careers through education. Today through Veterans Day, November 11, you can "Help A Hero" when you get a haircut at one of the almost 1,800 Sport Clips locations across the U.S. The goal this year is to raise $1.5 million toward scholarships through the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW)-administered program.

Sport Clips worked with the VFW to establish the VFW's "Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship" program in 2013, after partnering for more than a decade to provide phone calls home for America's service members and their families. The Help A Hero Scholarship program now provides up to $5,000 of assistance per semester to qualified U.S. service members who are in need of financial support to pursue an education at post-secondary institutions, including trade schools. So far Sport Clips, clients, team members and product partners have raised more than $4.9 million for the program to fund 1,115 scholarships. But the company's founder, a veteran, says there's more work to be done.

"Estimates are that one million service members will leave the military over the next five years, so it's mission critical to help pave the way to civilian careers and essential employment. We started the Help A Hero program to help veterans with the education costs not covered by the GI Bill," says Gordon Logan, Sport Clips founder, CEO, Air Force veteran and VFW Life member. "Help A Hero Scholarships are changing lives by offering the support needed to ease the transition from the military and providing for veterans and their families as a way of saying 'thank you' for their service."

One way to help is by making a donation when getting a haircut at Sport Clips now through "The Biggest Haircut Day of the Year," Veterans Day, November 11, the day the company donates a dollar for every haircare service to the scholarship program. Last year, the $1 haircut service donation accounted for more than $130,000 of the $1.25M total raised. Some locations are also offering free haircuts to service members and veterans with valid military identification - check here for participating stores and store hours. 

"When veterans return home, they should be focusing on putting their lives back together and not worrying about how they're going to pay for college," said VFW National Commander B.J. Lawrence. "The Help A Hero Scholarship works to fill the giant gaps in benefits so many service men and women face. What may seem like a simple haircut to you or me, is actually a bright future and successful career for a military family."

Sport Clips is the official haircutter of the VFW, and the Help A Hero program is just one of many ways the company supports active-duty military and veterans. To find out more, visit your local Sport Clips or SportClips.com.

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, is ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the "Fastest-Growing Franchises" and in the top 10 in its "Franchise 500." There are almost 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 "2018 Best for Vets: Franchises" by Military Times. Sport Clips provides "haircuts with heart" through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has given more than $4.9 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 and Denny Hamlin, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Indy Car driver Sebastien Bourdais, 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 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 1.6 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in more than 6,300 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 www.VFW.org.

SOURCE Sport Clips Haircuts

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