Posted on January 2, 2007

Hoehl Foundation Establishes Scholarship Fund for Children of Vermont Veterans

Robert and Cynthia Hoehl and the Hoehl Family Foundation in South Burlington, Vermont, have donated $1 million to establish a scholarship fund for children of Vermont residents who have served with the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Vermont Guardian reports.

Over the next four years, about sixty children will be eligible for the Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Scholarship, which is being underwritten by the family of the founder of the IDX software company. Administered by the Vermont Student Assistance Corp., the fund will provide fifteen annual awards of between $3,500 and $7,000 to students entering college, starting next fall.

First Lt. Joe Colantoni, education officer for the Vermont National Guard, said he wasn't aware of similar programs. "There is no scholarship funding available for children of our soldiers, sailors, or airmen," Colantoni said. "Like most Vermont families, they too are struggling with the cost of a higher education. In my mind, Bob and Cindy Hoehl epitomize what America stands for: taking care of our own people and taking care of the people who are protecting our freedom."