America Supports You: Scholarship Keeps Military Families 'In the Fold'

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 4, 2008 - A military child's education is one of many things a servicemember's injury or death in the line of duty could jeopardize. To make sure that never happens, retired Air National Guard F-16 pilot and Iraq War veteran Maj. Dan Rooney created Oklahoma-based "Folds of Honor."

"Folds of Honor is dedicated to providing deserving families with tailored, effective, lasting change through education," said Jason Ohrenberger, the organization's senior vice president for future development. "[It] provides current- and future-use educational scholarships for spouses and children of military servicemembers killed or disabled in action in Iraq or Afghanistan."

For spouses, who in many cases become the primary breadwinner, these scholarships can help pave the road to a better job. It also can offer them peace of mind about paying for their children's college educations even if they're not ready to head off for college just yet.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and must include copies of the servicemember's discharge paperwork, certificate of death or disability or proof of prisoner-of-war or missing-in-action status, proof of dependency and a family photo, all in digital format. Newspaper clippings or official paperwork on the incident involving the servicemember also may be submitted.

To date, Folds of Honor has presented more than 200 scholarships totaling nearly $1.1 million. Partnerships with the Professional Golfers' Association of America, the U.S. Golf Association, TaylorMade Adidas Golf, and the Air National Guard have helped make that possible.

Folds of Honor is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. The organization's affiliation with the Defense Department program will help further its goals, Ohrenberger said.

"Deserving families need to know about Folds of Honor, its mission and the educational scholarships available to them and how they can apply," Ohrenberger said. "America Supports You's reputation and significant contact with prospective applicants will significantly advance the mission."