KANSAS
CITY, Mo. — The Veterans of Foreign Wars
of the U.S. announced a new program developed in conjunction with Student
Veterans of America (SVA) that will offer legislative fellowship opportunities
for up to 10 student veterans to join VFW advocates on Capitol Hill next March.
The announcement came at the start of the 2014 SVA Leadership Summit, hosted by
the VFW.
Student
veterans interested in the new VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship must complete an
application package that includes an essay discussing one of the VFW’s
Legislative Priority Goals, and how that priority goal applies to the veterans’
community at large. Selected fellows will then be flown to Washington, D.C., to
storm Capitol Hill alongside fellow veterans’ advocates as part of the 2015 VFW
Legislative Conference, March
1-5. All applications must be submitted to the VFW by
Dec. 31, 2014.
“The
VFW has been at the forefront of advocating for veterans, service members and
their families for more than a century,” said VFW National Commander John
Stroud, a retired Air Force first sergeant from Hawthorne, Nev.
“We
are proud to extend this unique opportunity to the newest generation of veteran
leaders through our continued partnership with Student Veterans of America,”
said Stroud, a former student veteran who graduated from Embry-Riddle University
in 1990. “The VFW sees SVA members advocating on college campuses across the
country every day. This fellowship will enable them to bring that concern and
passion for their fellow student veterans directly to Capitol Hill, where they
can and will make a difference on the national level not only for their
generation, but for those that will follow.”
VFW-SVA
Legislative Fellowships are open to student veterans at SVA chapters
nationwide. Candidates must also satisfy VFW membership criteria, which can be
found here. For
full details about the fellowship and to apply, visit: www.vfw.org/StudentFellowship.
The
VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship is the latest collaboration between VFW and SVA
that resulted from a memorandum of understanding signed by the two
organizations at the SVA National Conference in January 2013. To date, the
collaboration has resulted in a variety of initiatives such as commissioning VFW
Student Veteran Liaisons in every state; establishing the 1 Student Veteran education
benefits assistance program; and successfully pushing for in-state tuition for
veterans via the #InState4Vets campaign.