Despite a year plagued by a global pandemic, Sport Clips Haircuts and VFW’s partnership through the Help A Hero Scholarship program yielded results.
At the conclusion of the 2020 Help A Hero Scholarship fundraising campaign, Sport Clips Haircuts presented VFW Commander-In-Chief Hal Roesch II with a $1,026,105 donation on Jan. 25 in Georgetown, Texas.
Airman Traevonne Greene is a recipient of a VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero Scholarship, which he is using to pursue dual degrees from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. Greene is one of more than 1,900 student veterans assisted by Help a Hero. In January, Sport Clips presented VFW with a $1,026,105 check for the scholarship. "Supporting our nation's military remains a priority for our veteran-founded business. We are honored to make this donation to the Help A Hero program for those who have given so much through their service," said Gordon Logan, an Air Force veteran, VFW life member, founder and chairman of Sport Clips. “We're grateful to our franchisees, team members, clients, and product partners who faithfully support these essential scholarships.”
More than $60,000 of the funds derived from Sport Clips’ annual $1 haircut services during Veterans Day, with the majority coming from clients, individual supporters and team members. Sport Clips’ partners, which include Direct Beauty Express, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Nioxin, Sexy Hair, Gibs Grooming, ACTiiV and Darlington Raceway, also made substantial contributions.
Amidst the pandemic in 2020, Sport Clips and VFW also hosted the first-ever Help A Hero Walk, which offered supporters a new way to engage with Sport Clips’ annual Help A Hero campaign. Participants in the virtual walk were able to register and fundraise individually or as a team through an online portal that boasted flexibility and participation without breaking social distancing protocols. The virtual walk raised more than $12,000 towards the Help A Hero Scholarship fund.
"The pandemic's impact has been far-reaching, especially for our military and veteran families, and this campaign helps to ensure we continue to provide as many student veterans with scholarships as possible," Roesch said. "I'm proud to announce that we have awarded another 160 student veterans with scholarships totaling nearly $700,000 for the spring 2021 semester. To date, more than 1,900 military and student veterans have benefitted from the Help A Hero Scholarship program through $8.7 million donated previously by Sport Clips Haircuts and its generous clients and product partners."
Help A Hero Scholarship applications are open now through April 30 for the fall 2021 semester in order to receive up to $5,000 of assistance per semester, per family for service members and veterans in the rank of E-5 and below. To find out more, visit your local Sport Clips, SportClips.com/hero or VFW.org/scholarship.