Would you honor the life of a soldier with an education for his child?
On December 20, 1989, more than 27,000 U.S. Troops were deployed to the country of Panama. Operation Just Cause began at 0100 local time and occurred just five days after General Noriega and Panama’s assembly declared a state of war existed between the U.S. and Panama and four days after an unarmed U.S. Marine was shot to death by Panamanian soldiers. Sergeant William Delaney Gibbs, a member of the 7th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army was one of 23 killed during the invasion, leaving behind a wife and unborn daughter. David Y. Kim served with Gibbs.
Kim now a partner at private equity investment group Apax Partners never forgot the family Gibbs left behind. He would eventually connect with Gibbs’ now grown daughter, Delaney, struggling to fund and manage her college education. Delaney became Kim’s inspiration for the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, an organization he founded that provides college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who lost a parent in the line of duty. Both David and Cynthia Kim continue to volunteer to ensure that college scholarships and educational counseling is provided to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty in order to bridge the gap between existing sources of grants and scholarships and the total cost of college.
The Children of the Fallen Patriots Foundation is in a Unique Position to Make a Difference. By approaching this challenge in the broadest possible way, they have already had great success reaching and helping hundreds of children. And this is just the beginning:
•Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation has enrolled over 1,300 children in the system – a unique accomplishment given the difficulty in finding surviving families.
•They award scholarships to families from all branches and units of the armed forces.
•They are dedicated to tracking children of fallen service members who have lost their lives in both combat and accidents.
•They bridge the gap between existing sources of grants and scholarships and the total cost of college.
•They are a resource to families as they try to find other sources of grants and scholarships.
•They provide counseling as families prepare for college.
•They are dedicated to ultimately streamlining the process and becoming a central clearinghouse for families and funding organizations.
•They are supported by an accomplished and dedicated Board of Advisors, including Mrs. Holly Petraeus
Although Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation is still a fairly young organization, they have already awarded over $1.8 million in scholarships. To date, they have raised over $2 million dollars and this is only the beginning. The goal is to ultimately raise over $200 million in order to help every child in need. If you would like to help by making a donation, please visit the site:
I personally love this foundation because I feel that more needs to be done for our veterans and patriots and their respective families.