Commissary, Fisher House offer scholarships

  • Published
  • By Gerry J. Gilmore
  • American Forces Press Service
The Defense Commissary Agency and the Fisher House Foundation have teamed up again to offer educational scholarships to children of military families and retirees. 

The Scholarships for Military Children Program is marking its sixth year, DeCA spokesman Kevin Robinson said, with the goal to provide at least one $1,500 scholarship for each of DeCA's 268 commissaries worldwide.

"It's important for us to give back to the military community that we serve," Mr. Robinson said. "This is one of the ways we do that, in addition to providing a commissary benefit to our customers.

"Helping the children of military families get an education" is a very worthy cause, he said.

Authorized applicants include unmarried children under age 21 of active duty, Guard or Reserve, or military retiree families. Applicants up to age 23 are also eligible if they are enrolled in school.

The application period for this year's program began Nov. 1 and ends Feb. 22.

Application forms for the program are available at local commissaries or via the Internet at www.commissaries.com or at www.militaryscholar.org.

Applicants are required to write and submit an essay on why they admire a great past or present military leader. More than one scholarship per commissary may be awarded. In 2004-2005, 500 scholarships were awarded.

The Fisher House Foundation administers the scholarship program, which is funded by manufacturers and suppliers of groceries and services in the commissary system. An outside review panel selects scholarship recipients, he noted.

Last year, the DeCA-Fisher House program awarded about $750,000 in scholarships, said David Coker, the Fisher House Foundation's executive director. More than $3.2 million in scholarships have been awarded since the program began.
 
The annual DeCA-Fisher House scholarship program is conducted "to honor those who serve," Mr. Coker said.

Fisher House also builds and runs living quarters on the grounds of major military installations and Veterans Affairs medical centers so family members can be close to hospitalized loved ones.