The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

link U.S. Air Force photo: Senior Airman Ericka Engblom

Gerald and Shawn Pelfrey, parents of this year’s Defense Commissary Agency scholarship winner, receive pins from Deborah Dickerson, 27th Special Operations Mission Support Group commissary manager, Aug. 8 at Cannon Air Force Base. The Defense Commissary Agency sponsors a scholarship yearly that has given out more than $14 million to help military dependents with the cost of college.

27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

Summer is almost over, and soon it will be time to head back to school. Back to organized binders, to a pouch full of writing utensils and for those in college, back to living on instant noodles in order to make ends meet while paying for tuition.

Higher education, while never cheap, has become increasingly more expensive in the last few years; so much so, that the debt a student racks up while attending school can follow them for decades afterward. With this in mind, Scholarships for Military Children has graciously added their name and money to the list of scholarships available to those who are college bound in military families.

Since 2001, Scholarships for Military Children has given more than $14 million to over 8,000 children of military members. The money used in the scholarship pool is graciously provided by donators throughout the year, with the Defense Commissary Agency acting as the middle man for the military dependents by accepting and submitting their packages.

“The scholarship is an investment in education; it is an investment in military quality of life and it is an investment in our future,” said Jim Weiskopf, vice president of Fisher House Foundation and sponsor of the scholarships program.

This year, the scholarship at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, was awarded to Elliott Pelfrey, a 19-year-old who will be returning to the University of New Mexico this year. Pelfrey received $2,000 to assist with the cost of college.

Victoria Wilson, a commissary management representative, stated that she and others at the commissary couldn’t be more thrilled to help out military families.

“It is an honor to have this program for our military dependents,” said Wilson. “The commissary values the strong partnership we have with the base.”

For more information regarding programs sponsored by the commissary, or for events happening in the near future, call 575-784-4330.