UT’s Vols of Honor Scholarship has doubled its number of awards in just two years, impacting 23 students this fall. The scholarship program began in 2022 and benefits students with a parent or spouse who was disabled or killed in the line of duty as a military service member or first responder.
The program’s annual golf invitational and benefit provided significant support to scholarship recipients over the past two years. The 2024 event raised more than $100,000, making this year’s increase in awards possible while building an endowment that will sustain the program for the future. The next event will be held in May 2025.
“Vols of Honor reflects how the university and its alumni and donors appreciate and value the sacrifices that our military families and service members make,” said Brian Hardy, director of campus-wide advancement. “I’m happy to report that every eligible student who had financial need is receiving a scholarship this year.”
The scholarship endowment came about through the efforts and generosity of Jennifer Armstrong (’72). She wanted to do more to support UT students receiving scholarships from the Folds of Honor Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers financial support for higher education to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members and first responders. Armstrong’s vision helped UT become the first university in the country to have an endowment that matches Folds of Honor’s mission and complements its financial support. Folds of Honor scholarship recipients who attend UT and have additional financial need qualify for a Vols of Honor scholarship from the university.
“I worked in Manhattan, and we lost 35 people in my neighborhood on 9/11,” said Armstrong. “I saw those 35 families struggle with grief and also with finances. Some of them were first responders, and many of their children went into similar service fields or military service. So Vols of Honor means a lot to me.
“The scholarship’s exciting growth and its legacy are all about these students and their families. They lost so much in life because their family members sacrificed to serve, and I want this scholarship to make their path to education easier.”
While the scholarship awards have doubled, so has the number of eligible students. Each recipient received $1,000 this year, but the program aspires to supply complete, last-dollar support to every eligible student with financial need.
“Jennifer’s vision and UT’s partnership with Folds of Honor have inspired other donors and brought focus to the need to support our military families and first responder families who are going through the daily struggles that any family goes through to send a child to college, but with added burdens and often loss of income or ability to earn income,” said Hardy.
The Vols of Honor Scholarship, its recipients, and the university’s unique partnership with Folds of Honor will receive recognition during the Pride of the Southland Marching Band’s halftime performance at the football game against the University of Texas at El Paso this Saturday, November 23—a fitting tribute that bookends a series of UT events to honor veterans and current military service members in commemoration of Veterans Day.
You can support the Vols of Honor Scholarship by visiting giving.utk.edu/volsofhonor.
