(St. George, UT) – Representatives from the Washington County Republican Women organization visited the Dixie State College campus Monday afternoon to present a $3,600 donation to the “Embracing Our Heroes” Scholarship fund, which benefits and honors spouses of the servicemen and women of the Utah National Guard’s 222nd Field Artillery Unit. WCRW president LaRene Cox, along with WCRW treasurer Judy Houston and “Embracing Our Heroes” co-chairs Wilma Courtney and Susan Baker delivered a check to DSC President Dr. Stephen D. Nadauld in a brief ceremony.

The “Embracing Our Heroes” scholarship, which is part of the “Caring for America” outreach program, was established at Dixie State in 2007 to honor of veterans of the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts, with priority shown to 222nd veterans and their families. The donated monies will go toward funding three partial scholarships, which provide financial assistance with college expenses, including tuition, books and college fees primarily to spouses of veterans or active servicemen and women of the 222nd who meet specific academic qualifications and demonstrate financial need. The DSC financial aid office will determine the financial need.

“We are honored to do all we can to show our support to our military and our veterans,” WCRW president LaRene Cox said. “Our military and their families have sacrificed so much for us and we are grateful for the opportunities we have to give service to those who have served and protected us.”

Part of the WCRW charter is supporting the military through the “Caring for America” program, where members engage in charity work, community service and support of the military and their families. The WCRW scholarship was created to honor the 222nd for the service the unit provided in both conflicts. Monies for the scholarship are generated through a number of fundraising efforts, including the annual Freedom Run held each April in Bloomington, and a quilt opportunity drawing fundraiser held in conjunction with the annual Lincoln Day Breakfast in February. The quilt has become an annual staple of the scholarship fundraising campaign, thanks to the efforts of Wilma Courtney and Colleen Willis, who was also on hand for the check presentation.

To qualify for the scholarship, the potential recipient must live in Washington County, be married to a veteran of either the second Iraq War or the conflict in Afghanistan, and must have a 3.00 or higher academic grade point average or better.

For more information about the scholarship or to apply, please contact Sue Perschon in the DSC Financial Aid office at 435-652-7578. To find out more about donating to the DSC “Embracing Our Heroes” scholarship, please contact DSC Vice President of Development George F. Whitehead at 435-652-7906.