The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created to recognize the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community.

$2,000 scholarships are available from the Scholarships for Military Children program. The deadline is late February. Applications must be delivered to a Defense Commissary Agency store.

At least one scholarship will be awarded at every commissary location with qualified applicants.

The application is available online at http://www.militaryscholar.org and at commissaries worldwide.

Students should put emphasis on writing the essay that is required to accompany the application. In past years, the essay has been a key factor in deciding among the many outstanding applicants.

Students who can't personally deliver applications to a commissary store should use a delivery method that supplies a return receipt. People applying online can click on the "Verification of Receipt" section. Scholarship managers will respond to "Verification of Receipt" e-mails until mid-June.

Applicants should check all materials carefully for simple things like making sure the application is signed and that it is the current application.

The scholarship program is open to unmarried children younger than 21 (23 if enrolled in school) of active-duty servicemembers, including Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and retired military.

Eligibility will be determined using the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database. Applicants should ensure that they, as well as their sponsor, are enrolled in the system and have current ID cards.

Applicants must be planning to attend, or be already attending, an accredited college or university fulltime in the fall term of each year, or be enrolled in a program of study designed to transfer directly into a four-year program.

Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit organization best known for building comfort homes near military medical facilities, administers the scholarship program. Scholarship Managers, a professional firm that has handled more than 400 programs, screens applicants and awards scholarships. Neither Fisher House nor the Defense Commissary Agency is involved in the decision process.

The scholarship program is in its fifth year and has awarded nearly 3,000 scholarships and more than $3 million since the first scholarship was awarded. They are primarily funded through the voluntary donations of the various manufacturers, brokers and suppliers that sell products in commissaries. The general public also can contribute through a link on the Web site.
(Courtesy of American Forces Press Service)