The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is proud to announce its partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides academic scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled service members and first responders, including police, fire, EMTs and paramedics.
Through the vision of UT alumna Jennifer Armstrong (’72), the new Vols of Honor scholarship endowment was established to provide additional financial assistance to UT students already receiving a Folds of Honor scholarship. According to the Folds of Honor Foundation, having a university-based endowment that matches their mission is the first of its kind in the country.
“I’ve been involved with Folds for a few years, and I knew how important their work was to support those left behind. I knew Folds had several students here at UT, and I knew that we could do more to help them,” said Armstrong. “My vision is to build the endowment to help every Vols of Honor student and that other universities will take the Volunteer lead and create their own honor scholarship.”
Ben Leslie, chief impact officer of the Folds of Honor Foundation, praised Armstrong’s passion and initiative and said the partnership holds great promise.
“We are excited about this partnership and so grateful to the patriotic alumni at the University of Tennessee that share our commitment to leave no family behind,” said Leslie. “What Jennifer Armstrong has done through the establishment of the Vols of Honor will not only help provide more support for these families but also help to raise the awareness of the mission of Folds of Honor. The state of Tennessee is filled with patriots, and the university reflects that in so many ways.”
Since its founding in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 44,000 scholarships across the country, including 44 this fall at UT.
Those interested in supporting the new Vols of Honor scholarship endowment can do so by visiting http://giving.utk.edu/volsofhonor. Folds of Honor is also planning a golf tournament next spring at Tennessee National Golf Course to benefit the new endowment, which will ensure a bright future for the family members of Volunteers.
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Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States armed forces. Its educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K–12, tuition for college, technical or trade school and postgraduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program. Funds for a second bachelor’s degree or trade or technical program certification are also available. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 44,000 scholarships totaling nearly $200 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on GuideStar. It was founded by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot with three combat tours in Iraq and PGA professional.
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CONTACT:
Cindi King (865-974-0937, cking126@utk.edu)
Gerhard Schneibel (865-236-7389, gschneib@utk.edu)