Scholarship Fund Helps Illinois Veterans And Their Families Pay For School
(CBS) -- Illinois veterans and their families looking for help paying for school have until the end of this month to apply for scholarships.
The Illinois Patriot Education Fund not only gives money to veterans for continuing their educations, but also their spouses and children.
Co-founder Mark Slaby says that makes it different from other military scholarships. The fund doesn't give a set number of scholarships each year.
Slaby says many recipients receive money for multiple years so they can finish their degrees.
A flaw in the current GI bill, according to Slaby, is that it only gives military personnel only three years to complete school. That's not realistic for some who have families, more tours and other challenges.
He expects the fund to give out more than the $62,000 that it awarded last year.
Since it began in 2011, Slaby says the fund has given out $300,000 in scholarships.
The fund collects donations from private and corporate groups.
The deadline to apply is March 31.
For more information, visit www.illinoispatrioteducationfund.org.