Feature Story

 

Honor Marines by Educating Their Children

“The Marine Corps has impacted who I am today and who I will be in the future. They have shown me that there are strong men and women out there who sacrifice everything they have for me to be able to go to school, and to have a better life, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

Sara Elizabeth Swarckof is the daughter of a United States Marine. She is a senior at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, majoring in Communication Disorders with a minor in Child Development. After graduation she plans to pursue a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology. Without assistance from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF), “school would not have been possible.”

Sara’s words, from her thank you to the Foundation, echo the gratitude of thousands of Marine Corps children who’ve used MCSF scholarships to pursue their education and improve their lives.

“One of the best ways to honor our Marines and Navy Corpsmen is through the Scholarship Foundation — by helping to educate their children,” Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney said in announcing the contribution.

Since 1962, when it was founded to send the child of a World War II Marine Medal of Honor winner to college, the group has provided more than $65 million through more than 26,500 scholarships to help educate the children of Marines and of Navy corpsmen who serve with Marines.

Half of Foundation-funded students are the first in their families to attend college and almost 40 percent of Foundation-funded students go into science, technology, engineering and math programs, a rate well above that of the U.S. student population as a whole.

Boeing, a long-time MCSF supporter, is proud to pledge this year an additional $2.5 million to the Foundation’s scholarship fund.

“One of the best ways to honor our Marines and Navy Corpsmen is through the Scholarship Foundation — by helping to educate their children,” Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney said in announcing the contribution.

McNerney noted the value that the foundation provides to Marine families and that its scholarship recipients provide to the United States:

• Half of Foundation-funded students are the first in their families to attend college.
• The graduation rate of Foundation-funded students is 79 percent (vs. the national graduation rate of 31 percent).
• Almost 40 percent of Foundation-funded students go into science, technology, engineering and math programs (well above the rate of the U.S. student population as a whole).

For more information about the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, including how to donate and to learn about Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer’s $1 million fundraising challenge, visit www.mcsf.org.

Last Updated: April 27, 2012 | Comments (0)