Scholarships for Military Children program rewards local military students Published June 6, 2007 By Kevin L. Robinson Defense Commissary Agency FORT LEE, Va. -- Four local students will receive money for college thanks to the Scholarship for Military Children program. These students will receive $1,500 scholarships to apply toward college tuition this fall. They are: Lauren M. Halbert, Niceville; Ruben Johnson, Niceville; Christina McCool, Niceville and Christiana Sheperd, Shalimar. "We're excited to report that the scholarship program continues to be a success in helping military families defray the costs of education," said Defense Commissary Agency Director and chief executive officer Patrick Nixon. "We're proud to be associated with a program that has awarded over 3,000 scholarships totaling more than $5 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.The full list of scholarship recipients and sponsoring business partners is posted online at http://www.militaryscholar.org. The Scholarships for Military Children program is funded by the manufacturers and suppliers that provide support for commissaries worldwide and 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.