Join Us! Nov. 1 Army Scholarship Foundation Help Our Heroes Luncheon at Brook Hollow Golf Club

Bring a friend and join in supporting the third annual Help Our Heroes Luncheon on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at the Brook Hollow Golf Club to benefit the Army Scholarship Foundation and provide educational opportunities for our military families.

Chaired by north Dallas residents Rose and Jeff Gault, US Army, Retired and CEO of the Army Scholarship Foundation with Highland Park resident Carmaleta Whiteley Felton as Advisory Chair, this luncheon is crucial to help provide funding for scholarships for the children and spouses of Army families and is supported by numerous sponsors and underwriters, including many active duty and retired soldiers. Sponsors include Bell Helicopter, 7-11, NexBank, Hillwood, a Perot Company, AT&T, Christus Health, Glass Doctor of North Texas, and USAA.  Media sponsors include The Park Cities News/the Waters Family and 660AM radio. 

Jon David Wells is Celebrity Master of Ceremonies and guest of honor will be The Honorable Allen West, former U.S. Congressman, and Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Retired.

The event will also include a special performance by Sergeant First Class Matthew Nall of the United States Army Chorus, and a personal story as related by a military family member scholarship recipient.    

 Last year’s luncheon included a personal testimonial by Garrett Wise, recipient of the Colonel J. Allen Green Memorial Scholarship, who gave insight into the real-life situation, every day struggles and triumphs facing many active troops today. He is currently attending North Texas State University in Denton and the son of Staff Sergeant Andy Wise, who had recently returned from deployment with the 7^th Special Forces Group in Afghanistan. These are members of the community of young patriots who are making daily sacrifices in defense of our freedom and way of life every day.  Garrett said that without this scholarship, his education would not be possible. His plea did not fall on deaf ears, moving the crowd to a standing ovation.       

Since 2001, the Army Scholarship Foundation has provided hundreds of academic scholarships to military family members.  The Foundation was established in 2001 by a group of Army veterans to serve our military families by helping children and spouses of soldiers fulfill their dreams of higher education.
         
Tickets are $150 each. Sponsor and underwriter benefits include preferred seating, special program visibility, Patron Party invites and more. 

Donations are encouraged by visiting the website at ArmyScholarshipFoundation.org or contact Rose Gault at rose.gault@armyscholarshipfoundation.org  or call 703-599-8029.

 

Host Committee:  

 

Lieutenant Colonel (USA, Ret) Woody Alexander, Association of the US Army;

Darcy Anderson, Hillwood;

Jon Arnett, AT&T;

The Honorable Allen Clark;

Michele Vonnegut Costello;

Otis and Carmaleta Felton;

Lt General (USA, Ret) Jay Garner;

Roger Gault, the Gault Company;

Stan Graf, Graf Chevrolet;

Lt General (USA, Ret) Stanley Green;

Robert Gunby, RTG Capital;

Robert Hastings, Bell Helicopter;

Dierk Hohman, NexBank;

Colonel (USA, Ret) J.P. Hogan, Association of US Army;

Colonel (USAF, Ret) Ralph Hodge;

Ellen Houlihan, Raytheon;

Congressman Sam Johnson, Texas;

Ambassador Robert Jordan, SMU;

Colonel (USA Ret) Richard Kaniss, Association of US Army;

Michael Lunceford, Mary Kay Foundation;

Major General (USA, Ret) Mike Marchand;

Tad McIntosh, HumCap Inc;

Andrew Nall, Radiant Financial;

Larry Patterson, Glass Doctor of North Texas;

Patrick and Mary Sculley, The Exercise Coach of Dallas;

The Honorable Keith Self, Colin County;

Congressman Pete Sessions, Texas;

Steve Sosland, UNT Health Science Center;

Thomas and Joan Stephens, Stephens & Associates;

Meredith Walker, East West Institute Board of Councilors;

Congressman Allen West, NCPA;

The Honorable Alberto Zapanta, USA, Ret, US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

 

Mission Statement:  The mission of the Foundation is to provide college scholarships to the sons and daughters of those who have served our nation honorably as soldiers in the United States Army and to provide college scholarships to spouses of enlisted soldiers serving on active duty in the United States Army.

 

History: In the year 2000, a handful of U.S. Army veterans joined together to develop plans for establishing a foundation to assist the needy sons and daughters of soldiers and Army veterans in achieving their dreams of higher education. It was the vision of these Army veterans that the Foundation would grow and be able to benefit an ever increasing number of deserving children of soldiers. 

 

Following the events of 9/11, the Foundation took on a new meaning for its founders and volunteers.  They established a scholarship in memory of a fellow soldier, Captain Jennifer Shafer-Odom who was killed during the war on drugs in Columbia, and additional scholarships were soon established in memory of those fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

 

In 2001, the Internal Revenue Service recognized the Foundation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, making all donations to the Foundation fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by federal law.  In order to recognize the sacrifices of the spouses of serving enlisted soldiers, in 2006 the Board opened eligibility for scholarships to such spouses as well. 

 

In 2016, the Army Scholarship Foundation awarded a record 103 scholarships to deserving Army family members in pursuit their educational dreams.  Since 2001, the Foundation has awarded more than 300 scholarships averaging approximately $1,000 each.  Unfortunately, many highly qualified applicants do not receive awards due to lack of funding.

 

The Army Scholarship Foundation continues today as an all-volunteer organization, run by caring individuals seeking to assist Army family members in their educational pursuits as a small way of saying "thank you" for the many sacrifices made by Army families.   

  *Photo by Dana Driensky

Wednesday, 11 October 2017