Folds of Honor helps families of fallen service members pay for college with scholarships
WASHINGTON (7News) — “My father Lt. Commander Raymond O’Hare was killed when I was three years old on July 11, 2000,” said Elizabeth Brees.
Brees and her sister and brother were forced to grow up without ever really knowing their father. He was killed during a training accident as a Navy pilot.
“We were raised by our mom alone," Brees told 7News.
When it came time to start thinking about college, she wondered how she would be able to afford it.
“The thought of trying to pay for college seemed insurmountable until we discovered Folds of Honor," Brees added.
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Folds of Honor is a charity that started 15 years ago. The mission is to look after and financially help the families of the fallen to get an education. They stepped in and made Brees dreams of going to school a reality.
“I went to St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md. and I got a degree. A Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biology.”
Folds of Honor gave Brees $5,000 a year and gave her sister the same. They are also giving her younger brother $5,000 as well.
In all, Folds of Honor in the last 15 years has awarded 44,000 scholarships to help families of the fallen, and those who’ve been left disabled by their service. For Brees, the organization has given her so much more. While she is waiting to get into medical school, she is now a spokesperson for Folds of Honor, because she said it’s not just a charity, members have helped her better get to know the man she barely knew, her father.
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“I’ve come to learn so much more about him. So, Folds has helped us to have these conversations and has been a family to us...allows us to remember dad, and now as a speaker, I get to share his story with so many people and recognize him as a hero to his country," said Brees.
