September 23, 2015
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Hosts 5th Annual Arizona Awards Dinner
Event Honored Local Community Leaders and Arizona Scholarship Recipients
PHOENIX – On September 12, more than 500 guests attended the 5th Annual Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Arizona Awards Dinner to celebrate scholarship recipients and veterans. The event is held each year to honor students and the community that invested more than $835,000 last year alone to support the children of Marine and Navy Corpsman in their dreams of higher-education. As the local representative for the nation’s oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to military children, the Arizona Campaign is proud to uphold the Scholarship Foundation’s mission of Honoring Marines by Educating Their Children.
This year’s dinner was held in conjunction with Marine Week Phoenix and was the capstone of the week’s festivities. The evening included a key-note address from Military Guest of Honor, Lieutenant General David H. Berger, and a speech from scholarship recipient Jeriah Sweatt, who is a sophomore at ASU. As part of the program the recently launched U.S. Marine Corps Arizona specialty license plate, which benefits the Scholarship Foundation, was displayed and this year’s awards were presented to local community leaders. Veteran Marine Sergeant and respected architect, Gerry Jones, accepted the Semper Fidelis award for his contributions to the Corps and the community. The 2015 Service Above Self award was presented to Veteran Marine Corporal and former Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris for his leadership and commitment to Arizona.
“It is an honor to be a part of an event that recognizes not only the service and sacrifices of Marines but also the people that have come together to support them,” said Andy McMillan, Arizona Campaign Scarlet & Gold Committee Co-Chair. “Being able to help their families by providing the invaluable gift of education is one of the best ways we can pay tribute our country’s Marine and Navy Corpsmen.”
In July, The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Arizona Campaign announced that 85 students from and/or attending school in Arizona had received more than $240,000 in scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year. Thanks to the support of the Arizona community, the local team expects to reach its annual fundraising goal of $1,000,000. On a national level, the Scholarship Foundation has awarded more than 35,000 scholarships, valued at nearly $100 million, in the past 53 years. These students have proven themselves to be focused and career minded, boasting an 80 percent graduation rate – nearly double the national average. To learn more about the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, scholarship eligibility or opportunities to get involved, visit www.mcsf.org.
About the Scholarship Foundation
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to military children. Since its inception in 1962, the Scholarship Foundation has provided more than 35,000 scholarships valued at nearly $100 million to the sons and daughters of Marines and Navy Corpsmen whose parents have been killed or wounded in combat, or have demonstrated financial need. For more information on the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, please visit http://www.mcsf.org.
