Student Veterans of America Chairman
Cynthia Latimer-Latimore
cynthialatimer3@gmail.com
Today's veterans can face any number of obstacles while furthering their education. That's why we've teamed up with Student Veterans of America (SVA), to be there for veterans while they pursue their education. Together we're committed to ensuring our nation’s veterans succeed in their educational pursuits, community service endeavors, careers and personal lives. Working side by side, SVA Chapters and VFW Posts can help our nation’s veterans attain these goals.
The missions and purposes of both organizations share a great deal of synergy. SVA offers peer support for veterans transitioning back to civilian life and academia, frequently after serving one or more deployments overseas. The VFW provides opportunities for camaraderie, community service and veterans advocacy to those who have honorably served in overseas conflicts. While SVA Chapters are unique among veterans groups with their location on campus, VFW Posts are located in the same communities off campus. These two organizations can experience great and mutual success working together through several key avenues of cooperation:
- Shared access to VFW Service Officers to help file disability claims
- Camaraderie, peer support and mentorship
- Cooperating on community and veterans service initiatives
- Conducting joint events, celebrations and recognition ceremonies
- Fellowship Opportunities
- Use of VFW facilities
- Pooling community connections for mutual benefit
- Combined effort on local, state and national advocacy efforts to attain the best possible outcomes for veterans
- Access to VFW's Help A Hero scholarships
- Direct help from VA education benefit specialists through VFW's 1 Student Veteran
With more than 6,000 VFW Posts and more than 1,500 SVA Chapters, there are many opportunities for cooperation and engagement. What are you waiting for? Find an SVA Chapter near you to get involved today.
Link to VFW SVA Website - https://www.vfw.org/community/student-veterans-of-america
VFW Awards Nearly $550,000 in Help A Hero Scholarships
This fall, 115 student veterans will attend college with additional financial peace of mind
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Aug. 11, 2026) – The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is proud to announce 115 student veterans were selected to receive VFW’s "Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarships” for the 2026 fall semester. The student veterans will collectively receive nearly $550,000 in financial grants, helping to ease their student loan burden and provide peace of mind to hundreds of military and veteran families across the country. See the full list of recipients.
Established more than a decade ago, the Help A Hero Scholarship was created alongside Sport Clips Haircuts to help ease the financial burden service members and veterans face while working to achieve their postsecondary educational goals. The program is funded solely through donations from generous Sport Clips team members, clients, individual supporters and corporate sponsors, through an annual in-store donation campaign that this year will run from October 4 through November 14.
"Education is one of the most important investments we can make in our veterans and service members as they transition to civilian life,” said VFW National Commander Cory Geisler. "The leadership, discipline and experience they gained in uniform are tremendous assets to our workforce, and we're proud that the Help A Hero Scholarships help ease the financial burden of earning a degree while, more importantly, empowering veterans and their families to build successful futures. This is what putting Veterans First looks like."
"The Help A Hero Scholarship continues to change lives, giving veterans and service members the freedom to pursue their education without the burden of financial stress standing in their way,” said Gordon Logan, Air Force veteran VFW Life member, and founder and chairman of Sport Clips. "We remain deeply grateful for the support we receive each year from our stylists, owners and clients, and for our longtime partnership with the VFW Foundation. We look forward to continuing to honor those who have served our country through this scholarship program.”
To date, the program has awarded more than 3,660 Help A Hero Scholarships to student veterans totaling more than $16.6 million in scholarships. The application period for the spring 2027 semester is now open! To learn more about the scholarship and eligibility or to apply, visit vfw.org/Scholarship.
