Commissary produces scholarship winners

  • Published
  • By Defense Commissary Agency
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Eglin's Commissary director, Luana Harris, announced the willers of the Defense Commissary Agency's annual scholarship program. 

The winner of a $1,500 scholarship are Lauren Halbert, Niceville; Whitney Schmieder, Fort Walton Beach; Brianna Bikker and Thomas Reho, Niceville and  Patrick Fitzgerald, Shalimar. The scholarships are part of the Scholarships for Military Children Program, funded by manufacturers and suppliers that provide products and services for commissaries around the globe.

"We're excited to report that the scholarship program continues to be a success in helping military families defray the cost of education," said Defense Commissary Agency Director and Chief Executive Officer Philip E. Sakowitz Jr. "We're proud to be associated with a program that has awarded 4,132 scholarships totaling more than $6.4 million since its inception in 2001."

Scholarship Managers, a professional scholarship firm, selects the winners based on academic merit, participation in extracurricular and volunteer activities, and the quality of their essays. Recipients are notified by letter. The full list of scholarship recipients and sponsoring business partners can be found online at http://www.militaryscholar.org.
Nearly every one of the Defense Commissary Agency's stores will announce a local winner; many commissaries will announce multiple winners.

The Scholarships for Military Children program is administered by Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit organization responsible for building comfort homes near military medical centers. The foundation bears all costs of the program so that every dollar donated goes for scholarships. The general public has the opportunity to donate to the program through the military scholar Web site.