Giving back to those who gave it all

Heroes Fund Scholarship assists wounded warriors and spouses

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, but Liberty University’s Office of Military Affairs is paying a special tribute to those wounded in combat with the Heroes Fund Scholarship. Recipients of the prominent Purple Heart, veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and widows or widowers of soldiers killed in combat are eligible to receive the scholarship to help pay tuition costs and fees.

The Office of Military Affairs is attempting to help those students who have gone through traumatic experiences, and no longer have any military aid available, get an education. So many young veterans are at a loss financially and have nowhere to turn besides college.

Meghan Ellis, the assistant director of Military Affairs at Liberty University, deals with the students who receive this scholarship directly. Those students who receive the scholarship are described by Ellis as being very grateful.

“It’s just amazing to me,” Ellis said. “Those students … their spouse paid the ultimate price, but so did they.”

Being a military spouse herself, Ellis is appreciative that the Heroes Fund Scholarship can help so many military students wishing to continue their education. Despite numerous donations, though, the money does eventually run out.

“We would love to see more donations. We can never have too many,” Ellis said.

The scholarship is funded completely by the Liberty University community and is known as a donor’s scholarship. There is no limit to how many awards are given out each year, but students are only able to get the funding for one degree level at a time. The scholarship fills in the gaps that other scholarships or federal aid cannot cover.

The only situation in which a deserving candidate cannot receive the scholarship is when the money runs out.

“There’s a lot of … service members coming back from many deployments that really only a certain generation of people understand what they’re going through,” Ellis said.

After 10 years of war and deployment in the Middle East, there are many young veterans returning to the United States with nowhere to go. With scholarships and benefits from donors given by the Heroes Fund Scholarship, veterans can get a quality education and better their lives without going into debt.

“For most of them it’s just a dream come true,” Ellis said.

Deserving candidates are encouraged to contact the Office of Military Affairs or fill out an application to receive this award for their sacrifices during war.

Donations can be sent to Military Scholarship Donation, 1971 University Boulevard, Lynchburg, VA 24502.