Teeing Off for Scholarships
Since 1990 the Coast Guard Foundation’s Merit Scholarship Program has provided more than 1,650 scholarships and over $6 million in financial assistance to the children of Coast Guard members, ensuring they can afford to reach their higher education dreams.
With the partnership of our corporate sponsors and individual donors, the Foundation awarded 167 new scholarships last year, totaling $503,000 in support. While these numbers quantify an impressive impact, Coast Guard Foundation President Susan Ludwig reminded attendees at the recent Washington DC Scholarship Golf Tournament that the impact is much more.
“I want you to know behind each of these scholarships, is a kid with hope, a kid with ambition, a kid who wants to make the world a better place, she said. “There’s also a family facing tough financial choices about how to afford college, and we know that challenge can be made much tougher by the challenges of Coast Guard service.”
While the Foundation raises funds year-round for the scholarship program, it also hosts the charity golf tournament in DC and another on Staten Island, NY, to allow sponsors to join the effort while sharing a round of golf with Coast Guard members.
This year the two tournaments raised nearly $160,000 for scholarships. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz presented trophies and thanked attendees during a post-golf lunch in DC. “Thanks for being out here and sharing a little bit of comradery today,” Schultz said. “And to all the sponsors, thanks for what you continue to do to enable the world’s best Coast Guard to keep its edge. We stay that way when we take care of our people. And this is absolutely a critical enabler for us to support the men and women of the United States Coast Guard,” he continued.
This year, Schultz presented the inaugural, RADM Marshall ‘Ed’ Gilbert Championship trophy in honor of Gilbert, who started the DC tournament 27 years ago and served as its chairman for many years.
