A new Arizona specialty license plate is assisting the children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen pursue their dreams of higher education.
Sales of the U.S. Marine Corps plate, introduced last August, have topped $50,000. For every one of the specialty plates purchased, $17 of the $25 fee goes to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation — the oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to military children.
“Marines make legendary sacrifices. Sending their children to school shouldn’t be one of them,” said Col. Steven Weintraub, a Marine reservist and chairman of the Foundation’s Arizona Campaign Committee. “There is no organization closer to the intersection of real need and lasting impact than the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.”
“The Marine Corps Scholarship Fund is providing college educations and sharing pride in our Marine Corps and Navy Corpsman with this specialty license plate. This is of great benefit to Arizona Marine families. As a daughter of U.S. Marine and graduate of the University of Arizona, I am especially proud to devote my time to this program,” stated Kathleen Winn, License Plate Committee chairperson.
No eligible child of a Marine or Navy Corpsman who served with the Marines is turned down for a scholarship. Eighty percent of scholarship recipients go on to earn a degree, about double the national rate.
Providing such support becomes tougher each year as college costs rise and more children of Marines and Corpsmen enter adulthood.
That’s why programs like the Marine Corps license plate program and the Arizona chapter’s annual gala are so important. Funds raised through these programs have provided scholarships to more than 300 sons and daughters of Arizona Marines in the last five years alone.
The gala is open to the public and takes place Sept. 10 at the Keirland Resort and Spa. For more information, including ticket purchases, visit mcsf.org/arizona.
The U.S. Marine Corps specialty license plate is also available to anyone – you don’t have to be a Marine or a Navy Corpsman to display the Eagle, Globe and Anchor and show your support. You can order the plate at www.servicearizona.com (click on personalized/specialized plates).