ThanksUSA Launches 10th Annual Scholarship Season for Military Families

MCLEAN, Va., April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ThanksUSA, the national non-profit organization dedicated to thanking America's troops through the gift of education, today announced that children and spouses of America's armed forces are invited to apply for ThanksUSA's post-secondary education scholarships beginning April 1, 2015. Applications will be accepted through May 15, 2015, online at http://www.ThanksUSA.org. 

"Ten years after ThanksUSA was launched, we remain committed to helping military families flourish and advance their dreams through education," said ThanksUSA CEO and Chairman Bob Okun. "It's how we can offer our collective gratitude as a nation for all that our servicemen and women and their families do for us."

ThanksUSA provides need-based scholarships to the children and spouses of military personnel across all the armed forces, the National Guard and Reserves, giving special consideration to families of the fallen and wounded.  Over the past decade, the charity has raised more than $10 million, resulting in nearly 3,400 scholarships. Up to 500 students are expected to receive awards this season, totaling $1.5 million.

"We believe 2015 applications will exceed 2,000 again this year, a strong indication of military families' persistent need for assistance," said Okun. "Our objective is to raise awareness of the support our military families need on the education front while they sacrifice daily on the front lines through deployments, family separations, and transfers across the country and overseas. Through ThanksUSA, those who lack the resources can pursue their goals."

ThanksUSA's awards are made possible by donations and several campaigns and events throughout the year:

• ThanksUSA Treasure Hunt – A free, fully interactive online digital trivia and puzzle game about U.S. history, culture and values, underwritten by the ESA Foundation. Participants are able to make donations through the contest.
• Jackson Casey Scholarship Fund – Dedicated to the memory of 11-year-old Jackson Casey, grandson of former Chief of Staff of the Army General George W. Casey, the fund provides need-based scholarships to the children of active-duty military primarily from the Washington, D.C. area and Colorado. ThanksUSA has awarded more than 70 scholarships valued at more than $200,000 since the memorial's inception in 2012.
• National Spokesperson Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors guard and two-time NBA All-Star Stephen Curry spearheads awareness efforts for ThanksUSA as the charity's national spokesperson. His ThanksUSA golf tournament and generous donation of his $25,000 KIA Award for philanthropy have resulted in 56 ThanksUSA scholarships totaling $168,000.
• Tennis Thanks the Troops – Affiliates and members of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) organize special tournaments and events to benefit ThanksUSA. Tennis pros Bob and Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond have previously supported ThanksUSA through memorabilia donations and participation in public service announcements.  
• AthleticDNA – Sports apparel company AthleticDNA has committed to donating a percentage of its sales during designated military holidays to ThanksUSA and provide apparel to participants at USPTA events.

Additional support for ThanksUSA's education fund comes from donors including Altria, Apex, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Computer Science Corporation, Goldman Sachs Gives, The Honda Foundation, Intelligent Decisions, Health Care Services Corporation, Kaplan University, The Kovner Foundation, Lockheed Martin, Navy Postgraduate School Foundation, No Greater Sacrifice Foundation, Paladin Capital Group, Pershing Square Foundation, RAI Services, Ron Conwey Family Foundation, USA Funds and others. We also receive in-kind support from American Airlines, CSC, Discovery Communications, Edelman, Engage DC, Four Seasons Hotel, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, LMO Advertising, National Association of Broadcasters and others.

Children and spouses of America's armed forces can find applications, eligibility requirements and more information by visiting www.ThanksUSA.org.

About ThanksUSA: 
ThanksUSA is a non-partisan, charitable effort to mobilize Americans of all ages to "thank" the men and women of the United States armed forces. The organization provides college, technical and vocational school scholarships to the children and spouses of military personnel. For more information, visit www.thanksusa.org.

CONTACT:
Michele Stork
(703) 855-4108
[email protected]g  

SOURCE ThanksUSA

Related Links

http://www.thanksusa.org