--- title: "The largest scholarship program of its kind celebrates a decade of helping service members pursue education to transition to civilian careers" url: https://burnaze.com/article/c41cffd9-4340-43b1-b090-c19f8b1e3b34 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20231010_the_largest_scholarship_program_of_its_kind_celebrates_a_decade_of_helping_.html category: "Education & Childcare" industry: "Education & Childcare" published: 2023-10-10T12:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T20:32:29.218Z image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1507679799987-c73779587ccf?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop --- # The largest scholarship program of its kind celebrates a decade of helping service members pursue education to transition to civilian careers **TL;DR:** Sport Clips' Help A Hero Scholarship program, established by founder Gordon Logan, has become the largest scholarship program of its kind for service members pursuing education. The program has supported over 2,720 scholarships with $12.3 million in donations from Sport Clips, its clients, stylists, and product partners. *originally published in Franchising.com on 2023-10-10. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20231010_the_largest_scholarship_program_of_its_kind_celebrates_a_decade_of_helping_.html).* ## Key facts - Sport Clips aims to raise $1.7 million - Help A Hero scholarships support 2,720 veterans - Scholarships range up to $5,000 per semester ## Story ## Scholarship program overview 11. The campaign supports the VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” program, which provides funds for education for veterans and service members to transition to post-military civilian careers. Over the next five weeks, Sport Clips clients, team members, and franchisees can donate in-store at check-out or online with 100 percent of donations going toward veteran scholarships. Participating Sport Clips stores will also donate $2 from every hair care service provided on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and many locations will also offer free Veterans Day haircuts for veterans. In 2013, a drawdown of troops prompted veteran-founded Sport Clips to step up to meet the need for education funds that extend beyond GI Bill benefits to more fully cover the costs service members often need to complete degrees and training after the military. Sport Clips Founder and Chairman Gordon Logan, a VFW Life member and Air Force veteran who flew C-130s in Southeast Asia, is the heart behind Help A Hero Scholarships, a program that has now become the largest of its kind. “For Sport Clips, giving back, especially to our military community, has been a core component of our business. Our stylists are key to making this program a success, and they really demonstrate our overall commitment to honoring veterans because they drive this promotion at the store level and get our clients excited to make a donation,” Logan says. “As a part of our philanthropic work, we recognize most Americans want to support companies that give back. It is our honor to support those who serve our country through the Help A Hero Scholarship program as part of our overall dedication to providing Haircuts with Heart.” ## Vfw partnership and goals “The costs of higher education continue to soar, so ensuring that our nation’s service members and veterans have the aid and support they need to be successful after their military career is over continues to be a top priority for the VFW,” said VFW National Commander Duane Sarmiento. “Transitioning out of the military can be difficult, but with the help of Sport Clips and its patrons, we’re able to eliminate some of the stress that comes with student loan debt.” To date, Help A Hero funds have supported more than 2,720 scholarships through the $12.3 million Sport Clips, its clients, stylists and product partners have donated to the VFW Foundation. In addition to in-store donations, you can also text “HERO” to 71777 for an easy, online giving option. Help A Hero scholarships range up to $5,000 per semester and help cover the cost of tuition and fees for military and service members with the rank of E-5 and below. Help A Hero scholarships are awarded to qualified veterans across all branches of the military by sending the funds directly to the college or technical school of their choice. To apply for and learn more about how these scholarships are impacting the lives of veterans, visit SportClips. Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and ranks #30 in the Entrepreneur “Franchise 500” for 2023 and is listed in Franchise Direct’s 2021 “Top 100 Global Franchises”. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a 2021 Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed $13 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing team and SRX Racing, and partners with other NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.4 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Education (sector) - veteran support (topic) - scholarship program (topic) - franchise philanthropy (topic) - Gordon Logan (person) - VFW (company) - sport clips (company) - education funding (topic) - Duane Sarmiento (person) --- Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20231010_the_largest_scholarship_program_of_its_kind_celebrates_a_decade_of_helping_.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c41cffd9-4340-43b1-b090-c19f8b1e3b34).