And it means even more veterans can go back to school using Help A Hero Scholarships. Stone Ward client Sport Clips Haircuts recently donated $1.35 million to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW) Foundation as a part of its annual “Help A Hero” fundraising program. The agency team traveled with Sport Clips to the organization’s headquarters in Kansas City, where the Vietnam War veteran who founded the franchise presented the check, and every local affiliate media network was in attendance. The funds will support Help A Hero Scholarships for active-duty U.S. service members and veterans. Stone Ward has worked with Sport Clips on the philanthropy since 2007, supporting its growth into one of the largest scholarship programs of its type.

Fundraising for this year’s Help A Hero outreach began in October with the goal to exceed the $1.25 million raised last year for the program. Stone Ward coordinated the campaign’s kick off with a media tour spanning New York City and Washington, D.C., and a host of Stone Ward-produced Help A Hero TV spots, point-of-sale and digital assets populated stores, airwaves and screens. By Veterans Day, November 11, Sport Clips, its clients, team members and product partners, raised the money for the largest donation in the program’s 11-year history.

“To see the impact of 1,300 Help A Hero scholarships at work in the lives of individuals who are pursuing post-military careers is powerful and one of the best ways we can say, ‘Thank you for your service,’” says Sport Clips Haircuts Founder and CEO, Gordon Logan, a U.S. Air Force veteran and Life Member of the VFW. “We’ve been doing this as a team with the VFW for over a decade and have put $5.5 million into these scholarships that have supported men and women in their education and training goals for so many sound professions…everything from doctors to truck drivers to chefs, counselors and lawyers. We’re grateful to be a part of an effort that’s making a positive difference for them, their families and the communities where they live and work.”

At Stone Ward, we recognize great work is made possible by great clients, and Sport Clips is a shining example of one of our many clients that share our philosophy of “building good.”