Veterans of Iraq, Afghan Wars who are students at HBCUs are eligible
(Dallas– September 11, 2009) The Tom Joyner Foundation® today announced a new ‘Scholar of Honor’ program that will provide a $1,500 scholarship to a veteran of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars since Sept. 11, 2001. The veteran must be currently attending a Historically Black Colleges & University (HBCU).
“This scholarship recognizes those men and women who have served our country who are trying to complete their education at a black college,” said Tom Joyner, chairman of his Foundation and host of the top-ranked nationally syndicated radio show. “This is our way of saying, ‘Thanks’ for what they’ve done and to help them pursue their dreams.”
The scholarship is available to qualified recent veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and the National Guard and Reserves that have served since Sept. 11, 2001 in the Overseas Contingency Operation. The purpose of this scholarship is to assist military veterans who have enrolled in an HBCU to complete their education with costs that are not covered by the Montgomery GI Bill, which provides eligible veterans of benefits, including an undergraduate or graduate degree at a college or university. The first scholarship will be awarded during the week of Oct. 26, 2009.
Detailed information about the scholarship is available at Joyner’s website, BlackAmericaWeb.com.
To qualify for the scholarship, the veteran must meet the following criteria:
* Must be a veteran of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, US Coast Guard, and the National Guard and Reserves and must have served in the US Overseas Contingency Operation and/or since Sept. 11, 2001.
* Must be currently enrolled at an HBCU as a full time student and in good standing with their respective institution.
* Letter of nomination must provide contact information (phone and email) for the nominee and the nominator.
Eligible applicants or loved ones must submit a nomination letter of no more than 250 words. The letter should include the nominee’s rank, time and place served, and designate from which branch of the Armed Services the nominee served. The letter should also highlight why the nominee deserves the scholarship, and any other personal information or history that will help select the award winning scholar, such as special medals and/or awards that the nominee has received. The letters must be accompanied by a digital photograph of the nominee that may be posted on BlackAmericaWeb.com and shared with media.
Upon selecting a recipient, the Tom Joyner Foundation will verify the nominee’s military status, enrollment at an HBCU, and amount needed for enrollment for the subsequent semester.
Letters of nomination may be emailed to scholarofhonor@blackamericaweb.com faxed to Foundation office at (972) 681.2886, or mailed to the The Tom Joyner Foundation, P.O. Box 630495, Irving, Tx 75063-0495
Founded in 1998, the Tom Joyner Foundation has raised more than $55 million to help keep students enrolled in black colleges. It has assisted more than 14,000 students and worked with more than 100 HBCUs.
