Katy VFW makes generous commitment to support HCC veteran students

Oct 25, 2016

Students enrolled in the Houston Community College (HCC) Veteran Workforce programs will benefit from a generous donation by the Katy, TX VFW Post 9182 and the Department of Texas VFW Foundation.

During the October meeting of the HCC Board of Trustees, Edward Bland and Kenneth Burton, Jr. presented the HCC Foundation with a check for $10,000 with $7,500 coming from the VFW Post 9182 and the remaining $2,500 from the Texas VFW Foundation.

“We are grateful for the generosity of the Katy, TX VFW Post 9182 to provide valuable support for our HCC veteran students as they pursue their higher education through our workforce programs,” said Dr. Adriana Tamez, HCC Board Chair. “This gift will impact the lives of many veterans.”

Bland, senior vice commander, VFW Post 9182, explained that many individuals come right out of active duty having to support a family with no income. This donation will help them transition into high-paying careers.

“When we discovered there was a gap between the VA funding for certain students and those coming out of active service looking for jobs in the private sector, they couldn’t get their certifications paid for by the VA because it was too short a period of time for the VA money to kick in,” said Bland. “These men and women are fully capable of doing the jobs. They just don’t have that piece of paper and HCC is providing that opportunity for them and we are happy to be able to fund part of that for these folks.”

Mary Williams, president of the HCC Foundation Board of Directors, expressed sincere appreciation on behalf of fellow board members.

“Your organization’s commitment for all you do for our veterans is impressive,” said Williams. “We thank you for your philanthropy and your gift and we look forward to growing our partnership in support of these students.”

To learn more about the HCC Foundation and the scholarships available, visit hccsfoundation.org.