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 Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. has been fighting an ongoing
war in either Iraq or Afghanistan. We have a generation of children,
some graduating from high school and starting college, who can't
remember our Nation not fighting a war. Then regrettably, so many
times we hear of a service member killed in combat - Our fallen
heroes. It's a blatant reminder and a harsh reality of a nation at
war. We've all seen the heart-wrenching images on TV. From the
dignified transfer at Dover to the haunting sounds of Taps played at
Arlington National Cemetery. These sobering images make us feel a
sense of anguish and sorrow.
But what happens after our
heroes are laid to rest? The family that suffered this tragic loss,
what happens to them? The emotional anguish, the sudden monetary
crisis, and all their future plans? This is an unimaginable tragedy
no family should ever have to experience and there is no textbook
answer for surviving family members on how to move forward.
During one of the lectures however, I decided not to
listen to the guest speaker. Instead, I wandered through the many
exhibitor booths looking for a story for our education blog. The
list of exhibitors varied from veteran groups to professional
development organizations to college and universities. I spoke to a
few representatives until I eventually came to the
Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation exhibit. The woman sitting at the booth
smiled as I walked up and before I could even say a word, she said,
“Hi there, my name is Karen!”
I knew immediately Karen Burris
had a story to tell as she began to explain her job as the Program
Outreach Officer. “We help provide scholarships to children of
military personnel who have been killed in the armed forces,” she
said, “And sadly, there is no centralized tracking system of
children who have lost a parent while serving in the line of duty.
My job is to help find these children who have fallen through the
cracks.”
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A Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation scholarship is
awarded during practice for THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS
Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 7, 2014 in Ponte Vedra Beach,
Florida. (Photo by Stan Badz, PGA TOUR)
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She told me CFPF covers the costs related to
undergraduate education, including tuition, room and board, books,
fees, computers and living expenses. Scholarship recipients can be
enrolled in either public or private institutions.
Karen
revealed to me that her husband, Major Andrew Scott Burris, was
killed during a training exercise while serving the 82nd Airborne
Division at Ft. Bragg, NC. Their daughter, Allison Burris is
currently a grantee of Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation.
“I had known my husband since we were 13. He was in the 82nd
Airborne Division, Infantry. He was a jump master, he loved the
military. And so, unfortunately, he was killed in a tragic accident
in 1997 while he was serving in the 82nd and we had a 3 year old
girl at the time (Allison), and she is now 21 and will be graduating
from the University of South Carolina next May. I couldn't be any
more proud. I'm just so proud of her.”
Karen explained how
she originally became acquainted with CFPF. While reading a Tragedy
Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) newsletter, Karen came
across a blurb on a scholarship. Surprised about reading the
discovery in the newsletter, she called several times to confirm and
eventually Allison was awarded the scholarship.
The friendly
and passionate nature of everyone who worked together to ensure
Allison received her scholarship is what inspired Karen to join the
foundation, “I was amazed what they were doing with my daughter,
what they do is each student is assigned a mentor/counselor and they
follow you through all four years of college, every semester.” She
explained, “I had called in and I had talked to Kenzi Vizzari, who
was Allison's mentor. She herself, and all of our grants mentors
have lost a parent in the line of duty and received a scholarship
themselves. They are completely aware of what to do as well as being
completely sympathetic to any of their needs. So, I told Kenzi one
day that if they ever needed any help with what they were doing, to
please think of me because I couldn't think of a more incredible
organization to work for. And so, as it turned out, they were hiring
at one point and sent an email out and I think I stayed up till 4 am
doing a resume and sent if off and I got hired.”
Karen says
the greatest challenge is locating the children. The casualties from
combat are generally well known, but less well known are the
hundreds of fathers and mothers that die in training accidents and
other duty-related accidents every year. More than 15,000 children
have lost a parent to combat over the last 25 years. The goal is to
reach each and every one of these children, and so far, CFPF has
identified 5,448.
Despite the challenges, Karen and CFPF do
what they can to get the word out. “The way I found out about it,
was of course, through TAPS. What I'm trying to do is go to the
military bases, and I'm trying to gain a very strong relationship
with every survivor outreach service through the Army. During the
MCEC symposium, that venue was great, because I was able to meet
people from the Coast Guard, and the Navy and the Marines and the
Air Force. These types of forums are really great because you really
get to engage with such a diverse group.”
Once the connection
is made with a potential scholarship recipient, enrolling with CFPF
is the next step to ensure a child will receive the financial
support. Karen says the goal is to guarantee that no child covered
will have to pay out-of-pocket or student loans to pay for college.
“What we do is, any child that's lost a parent while in the line
of duty they will receive whatever gap after Chapter 35 or Chapter
33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill) leaves off,” Karen explained, “CFPF will try
to fill that gap. Whether it is tuition, books, living expenses,
anything that a child needs to get through college, we figured it
would be about $34,000 per student. That's our average of what it
winds up being for each student. Our basic function is to go and
bridge that gap, and any other scholarships they receive. I can't
say enough about it because being a recipient and parent who no
longer have to worry about college education.”
Karen says
over 436 kids have received scholarships and 135 have graduated. She
said what is so amazing about the foundation is the children build a
warm relationship with the mentors and it's an ongoing connection.
“I literally stepped out of the picture because Allison and Kenzi
became such good friends and they communicate with each other. So,
the counselor on the other end can say ‘How are you doing? How are
your grades? Are you feeling overwhelmed?' They really build a close
bond with these kids and I think that is another way we stand out
and make such a difference because it's all about a relationship.
And if you're having a tough time, because it's a bad time of the
year, then they're there.”
“What I love most about Children
of Fallen Patriots is that 100% of what we raise goes to the
children. We have an incredible board, very strong board. If you
give us a hundred dollars, a hundred dollars goes to straight to the
children and their education.”
It is such a terrible tragedy
when a child faces the loss of a parent in the line of duty. That's
why it's so important we have people dedicated to serving these
families, and helping them through this challenging time is one of
the best ways to honor their sacrifice.
By Kevin O'Brien, DoD News
DoD Live
Copyright 2014
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