Campaign supports military scholarships through the VFW
GEORGETOWN, Texas — Getting a haircut now through Veterans Day will support service member and veteran scholarships as a part of Sport Clips Haircuts annual “Help A Hero” campaign that kicks off in stores today. The Help A Hero Scholarship program is designed to reduce the burden of college, graduate and technical school tuition often needed to pursue post-military careers and is administered by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW). The goal this year is to raise $1.5 million toward scholarships in the more than 1,800 Sport Clips Haircuts stores across the country.
In just six years, 1,450 military and student veterans have been awarded Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarships with the nearly $6.5 million donated to date by Sport Clips Haircuts, its clients and product partners. These scholarships provide up to $5,000 of assistance per semester to help cover the cost of tuition and fees for service members and veterans in the rank of E-5 and below.
“I used my G.I. Bill benefits to obtain my B.A. and even the first three semesters of my M.A. before exhausting my benefits,” says Christopher Mynatt, a U.S. Navy veteran. “The VFW and Sport Clips are the reason I will never have to pay for school out of pocket.”
“These scholarships are making a difference in the lives of so many who have served our country in the military. Right now, there are 165 student veterans attending colleges and certification programs here in the U.S. with the aid of Help A Hero Scholarships,” says Gordon Logan, Sport Clips founder, CEO, Air Force veteran and VFW Life member. “Whether it’s graduate school or beauty school, it’s an honor for us to be able to thank those who serve by helping them toward the degrees and certifications to pursue civilian careers.”
“Our student veterans can face a lot of adversity while pursuing higher education,” said William “Doc” Schmitz, VFW national commander. “With the help of Sport Clips Haircuts and its generous patrons, we’re so pleased to have the opportunity to ensure the financial burden is alleviated during an already stressful time in these veterans’ lives.”
Many locations are also offering free haircuts to service members and veterans with valid military identification – check here for participating stores and store hours. Anyone can support the cause by making a donation when checking out at a Sport Clips location. On Veterans Day, November 11, the company donates an additional dollar for every haircare service to the scholarship program, which added more than $100,000 to the total last year and will be even higher in 2019.
About The Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally-chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.6 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in 6,200 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.
About Sport Clips Haircuts
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and is ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “Fastest-Growing Franchises” and #17 in its “Franchise 500.” There are more than 1,800 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a “2018 Best for Vets: Franchises” by Military Times. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed $7.5 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR drivers Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Indy Car driver Sebastien Bourdais, and partners with numerous NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.