ThanksUSA "Treasure Our Troops" Gala Celebrates $10 Million in Scholarships for Military Families

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno told those who provide scholarships to the children and spouses of our Armed Forces that the family members of the military sacrifice as much as those in uniform and he hoped they will never be forgotten.  Our men and women in uniform have a good idea what's ahead of them, he said, but the families left behind by those who deploy experience a lot more uncertainty and give up a good deal.

Odierno was the featured speaker at the annual Treasure Our Troops Gala in Washington on Tuesday, September 30, hosted by ThanksUSA, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for America's military families.  The organization was founded by two young girls nine years ago and recently announced that it has awarded more than $10 million to date in post-secondary school scholarships.

"You've accomplished more than you know.  You represent the good and decent people all across America who accomplish good for the extraordinary men and women who protect our country," the General said of Kelsi and Rachel Okun, who with their parents Bob and Deanna Okun established ThanksUSA in 2005 to mobilize Americans to provide the gift of education to the families of active duty personnel across all service branches.  The Okun sisters, now 18 and 16 years old, were inspired to create the organization by their neighbor Lieutenant Colonel Lanier Ward, who was severely injured in Iraq.

Thanks USA, which this year awarded 280 scholarships, marked the occasion and the $10 million milestone by introducing eight scholarship recipients:  Jaquel Barnes of Florida; siblings Kinza, Sabrina and Zain Shah of Maryland; from the same state, Benjamin, Hannah and Joseph Solem, also siblings; and Sheeka Sharma-Gilmore, of Virginia.

ThanksUSA also honored Congressman Mac Thornberry of Texas for his commitment to military families.  Retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said of Thornberry, "He is the conscience of the people he represents, thoughtful, incisive and someone who really knows the business of governing."

"I was honored to receive the ThanksUSA Military Families Congressional Award at its Treasure our Troops Gala," said Rep. Thornberry who is Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee. "Of course, the real credit goes to the exceptional men and women serving in our Armed Forces and their families who are also serving our nation.  Since 2005, ThanksUSA has given nearly $10 million in educational and vocational scholarships to children and spouses of our active duty military.  It is an important contribution to supporting those who sacrifice so much to enable our military to protect all of us." 

Also honored was the Entertainment Software Association Foundation (ESAF) established by the American entertainment software industry to make a positive difference in the lives of America's youth, helping the next generation of innovators through scholarships and support of charitable organizations like ThanksUSA.

"The grant provided to ThanksUSA is the largest that the ESA Foundation has ever made, and that is for good reason," ESA CEO Mike Gallagher said of the foundation's generous donation to the organization.  "There is no greater calling or help we can provide than contributing to the future of the children of those who are defending our country."

Special mention was also made of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Intelligent Decisions Inc., and the Jackson Casey Fund whose financial generosity has provided more than 300 ThanksUSA scholarships, totaling over $1 million.

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 for the children and spouses of active-duty status military personnel. For more information, visit www.thanksusa.org.

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

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SOURCE ThanksUSA