$100,000 in Educational Grants Awarded to Military Spouses by Our Family for Families First Foundation

East Greenwich, R.I. –Our Family for Families First Foundation, the nationally-recognized private, charitable foundation of Corvias Group CEO John Picerne, has announced that it has awarded $100,000 in grants to the spouses of active-duty service members.  As part of the award, 20 military spouses each received $5,000 education grants in support of secondary education.

“Our goal in setting up the Foundation seven years ago was to find a way to give back to the service members by supporting their spouses and children in their pursuit of higher education,” said John Picerne, Foundation founder.  “We are extremely proud of this year’s worthy grant recipients and look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the years to come.”

Since its founding in 2006, the Our Family for Families First Foundation has awarded more than $4.5 million in scholarships to 90 children of active-duty service members, including $815,000 in educational grants to 163 military spouses, based on need and merit.  

“We are honored to support the hopes and dreams of this year’s deserving grant recipients,” said Maria Montalvo, Foundation executive director. “Providing military spouses with support in pursuing secondary education is just one of the many ways that we strive to give back to our communities and improve quality of life for our service members and their families.”

The Foundation’s 2013 grant recipients are the spouses of active-duty service members stationed at six of the military installations on which Corvias has partnered with the Army to improve the quality of housing.

Fort Bragg:

Nine of the Corvias Foundation’s 2013 Foundation grant recipients are from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  Jennifer Andrews, Keri Hughes, and Amanda Hall are pursuing nursing degrees at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia.  Diana Cosme is attending Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce to earn a Master’s in Education.  Jennifer Buehler and Olivia Dayton are pursuing psychology degrees at Penn State University Park and Fayetteville Technical Community College. Also from Fort Bragg, Baoan Lee, Heidi Pinkerton, and Qurtajah Redding are studying for careers in chemistry, biology, and forensic science.

Fort Meade:

Mary Banaszynski from Fort Meade in Maryland is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Anne Arundel Community College.

Fort Polk:

From Fort Polk, India Cannon is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Upper Iowa University and Central Texas College. Also from Fort Polk, Elicia Daugherty and Lakeisha Falls are pursuing careers in nursing at Northwestern State University of Louisiana the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, respectively.

Fort Rucker:

Carla Parker from Fort Rucker also plans to study nursing at George C. Wallace Community College in Dothan, Ala.

Fort Riley:

From Fort Riley, Kirsten Gilmartin is pursuing a Master’s in Education from the University of Maryland-University College, and Tahcara Shorter is pursuing a degree in Nursing at Manhattan Area Technical College.

Fort Sill:

From Fort Sill, Keishay Cook is pursuing a certificate for Dental Assistant from Platt College, and Margarita DeLeon will be studying psychology at Cameron University. Talphineta Kelly is attending Western Oklahoma State College to earn a nursing degree, and Andrew Walker will be studying computer programming at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.

In 2014, the Foundation plans to expand the number of military installations on which it offers educational support.  In addition to the six Army installations on which Corvias develops and manages military housing, the Foundation will begin awarding scholarships and grants to the spouses and children of active duty service members stationed at the six Air Force bases that the company began managing, effective September 1, 2013.  These bases range from Alaska to Florida and include Edwards Air Force Base in California, Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, Hurlburt Field in Florida, McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.

The Our Family for Families First Foundation was recognized at the White House in April 2012 by First Lady Michelle Obama as the People’s Choice winner of the first Joining Forces Community Challenge. The challenge spotlighted citizens and organizations with a demonstrated, genuine and deep desire to be of service to military families.

About Our Family for Families First Foundation

Our Family for Families First Foundation, the charitable arm of Corvias Group, is committed to inspiring students, college and university campuses, military families and employees to reach higher. The Foundation work increases access to educational, internship, mentoring and volunteering opportunities so that those we touch are empowered to pursue their dreams and to make a greater impact in service of their communities and their nation. The Foundation strives to create ever-increasing opportunities by providing the resources and networks needed to help our scholars and partners surpass their goals, and this is achieved through a commitment to education, community engagement and high-impact charitable giving.