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This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has announced the largest gift in its 60-year history, $65 million from Fred Smith, a Marine Corps veteran and founder and chairman of the shipping giant FedEx.
The foundation said the gift will aid its mission of honoring Marines by providing scholarships for their children attending post-high school, undergraduate and career and technical education programs.
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, based in Alexandria, is the oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships for military children in the nation.
“About 40% of our scholarship recipients are first-generation college students and so for a lot of these families it is a way for them to level the playing field and pursue whatever their aspirations might be despite the financial means that the family has,” said Ted Probert, CEO of the foundation. “It’s a great way for us to have a tangible impact and to thank those veterans for their service and that sacrifice.”
Aidan Larkin of Manassas, who is among the foundation’s scholarship recipients, is working toward a degree in aviation at Liberty University and said he has greatly benefited from the aid.
“The scholarship has taken a lot of stress away, financial stress from my parents and I, and has allowed me to put more time and effort into flying and into extracurriculars…I’ve also been able to take more credits per semester,” Larkin said. “It has benefitted my studies and my family.”
Both of Larkin’s parents served in the Marine Corps and Larkin aspires to become a fighter pilot for the Marine Corps after graduating.
“When it came time for me to choose my career, and choose which branch to go into, it was pretty obvious…it’s what I feel represents myself and my family the most,” Larkin added.
The foundation said Smith’s gift will increase its ability to provide scholarships for recipients in a variety of professional fields. The foundation awards about 2,600 scholarships annually, and the gift has already been allocated to cover 100 additional scholarships for the next academic year.
In addition, the foundation has been entrusted to use half of the funds to establish the Brown Hudner Navy Scholarship Foundation. That foundation will award scholarships to the children of Navy sailors studying science, technology, engineering, math and health sciences.
