thedrifter
04-06-07, 10:59 AM
Scholarship Foundation Provides Hope for Marine Families
Payton Hoegh
(CNSNews.com) - As the war in Iraq continues and Congress debates whether to cut funding, pull out the troops, or continue the mission, a scholarship fund for children of U.S. Marines is working to add some assurance to lives filled with uncertainty.
Since its inception in 1962, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF) has given over 20,100 scholarships, ranging in value from $500 to $10,000, to the children of Marines. The non-profit organization gives special emphasis to students whose parents have been killed in action.
The foundation, which gave 977 scholarships last year totaling $2.2 million, hopes with its new "American Patriots Campaign" to raise $50 million by 2010 and to double the size of its average scholarship to help fulfill its mission of "honoring Marines by educating their children."
With escalating tuition fees and the average income of many of the Marine family recipients under $38,000 a year, MCSF contends that "the need among Marine families is great."
"Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has helped accomplish what many Marines cannot - enabling their children to pursue dreams of higher education," it said in a recent press release. "The foundation provides academic scholarships to the most deserving and often most disadvantaged sons and daughters of our Marines."
Christopher Randolph, president of the MCSF, told Cybercast News Service that the program is "part of the Marine Corps culture of taking care of their own."
"This is a way that we can be a conduit for the general public to say thank you for the men and women who wear the uniform of the USMC," he said.
"When you look at the sacrifices that we're asking these young people to [make] and remembering that they are there by choice ... there's not enough that we can do for these families," Randolph said.
"When [these troops] go to Iraq or Afghanistan and know that they are going to be deployed ... they have so much on their mind that if they know that there is an organization within the Marine Corps family that's going to educate their family, it does have an appreciable effect on their focus," he added.
"To use a military term" Randolph said, "We're here to take care of their six o' clock should anything happen to them."
The support of the MCSF has had a "huge impact" on Marianne Tkach's family, the wife and daughter of former Marines told Cybercast News Service Thursday.
Tkach's husband, Fredrick, served in the Marines from 1986-1990 and because of his service their son, Thomas, was able to go to the school of his choice. Tkach, who lives in South Carolina, said that would not have been possible without the help of the MCSF.
"There's a lot more hope because this foundation is there," she said. "We've just had a great association with them."
Tkach said that the organization "amazed" her with its high level of personal contact and care. It also stays in touch with her family - almost as though they know each other.
When Tkach's second son, Joseph, was preparing for college the MCSF called to ask if he would need any help. They awarded Joseph a full scholarship.
"The MCSF has impacted our whole family," she said. "Thomas ... was able to pursue educational opportunities that we could not have pursued if it weren't for them. It set a tone, we have five children ... and it set a tone and a standard for pursuing your educational dreams.
"It's made a great difference in our lives," Tkach said.
Make media inquiries or request an interview about this article.
E-mail a comment or news tip to Payton Hoegh
Ellie
Payton Hoegh
(CNSNews.com) - As the war in Iraq continues and Congress debates whether to cut funding, pull out the troops, or continue the mission, a scholarship fund for children of U.S. Marines is working to add some assurance to lives filled with uncertainty.
Since its inception in 1962, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF) has given over 20,100 scholarships, ranging in value from $500 to $10,000, to the children of Marines. The non-profit organization gives special emphasis to students whose parents have been killed in action.
The foundation, which gave 977 scholarships last year totaling $2.2 million, hopes with its new "American Patriots Campaign" to raise $50 million by 2010 and to double the size of its average scholarship to help fulfill its mission of "honoring Marines by educating their children."
With escalating tuition fees and the average income of many of the Marine family recipients under $38,000 a year, MCSF contends that "the need among Marine families is great."
"Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has helped accomplish what many Marines cannot - enabling their children to pursue dreams of higher education," it said in a recent press release. "The foundation provides academic scholarships to the most deserving and often most disadvantaged sons and daughters of our Marines."
Christopher Randolph, president of the MCSF, told Cybercast News Service that the program is "part of the Marine Corps culture of taking care of their own."
"This is a way that we can be a conduit for the general public to say thank you for the men and women who wear the uniform of the USMC," he said.
"When you look at the sacrifices that we're asking these young people to [make] and remembering that they are there by choice ... there's not enough that we can do for these families," Randolph said.
"When [these troops] go to Iraq or Afghanistan and know that they are going to be deployed ... they have so much on their mind that if they know that there is an organization within the Marine Corps family that's going to educate their family, it does have an appreciable effect on their focus," he added.
"To use a military term" Randolph said, "We're here to take care of their six o' clock should anything happen to them."
The support of the MCSF has had a "huge impact" on Marianne Tkach's family, the wife and daughter of former Marines told Cybercast News Service Thursday.
Tkach's husband, Fredrick, served in the Marines from 1986-1990 and because of his service their son, Thomas, was able to go to the school of his choice. Tkach, who lives in South Carolina, said that would not have been possible without the help of the MCSF.
"There's a lot more hope because this foundation is there," she said. "We've just had a great association with them."
Tkach said that the organization "amazed" her with its high level of personal contact and care. It also stays in touch with her family - almost as though they know each other.
When Tkach's second son, Joseph, was preparing for college the MCSF called to ask if he would need any help. They awarded Joseph a full scholarship.
"The MCSF has impacted our whole family," she said. "Thomas ... was able to pursue educational opportunities that we could not have pursued if it weren't for them. It set a tone, we have five children ... and it set a tone and a standard for pursuing your educational dreams.
"It's made a great difference in our lives," Tkach said.
Make media inquiries or request an interview about this article.
E-mail a comment or news tip to Payton Hoegh
Ellie