ThanksUSA Begins Third Year of College Scholarships for Military Spouses and Dependents

ThanksUSA Begins Third Year of College Scholarships for Military Spouses and
Dependents

April 1st marks first day for scholarship application acceptance

WASHINGTON, March 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ThanksUSA, a charitable effort
to mobilize Americans of all ages to "thank" our active-duty troops by
providing college scholarships to their spouses and dependents, today opened
its third year accepting applications for scholarships.

"America's troops provide an invaluable service to our country, and the
sacrifice of these men and women and their families should not come at the
expense of their educational pursuits," said Carolyn Ferek, officer of
ThanksUSA. "We hope, that in a small way, these scholarships reflect the
nation's appreciation for their service to help defend our freedom."

Interested applicants can find more information, eligibility requirements and
the official application form at www.ThanksUSA.org. Applications will be
accepted from April 1 through May 15, 2008.

ThanksUSA began in 2005 as the idea of two Virginia schoolgirls, Rachel and
Kelsi Okun, as a way to mobilize Americans to thank our active-duty troops for
defending our freedoms. The girls attracted a small cadre of adults to develop
their idea -- including their parents, who contributed the goal of raising
funds for military-family scholarships for college, technical and vocational
school.

Over the past two years, ThanksUSA has awarded nearly $4 million in
need-based, post-secondary scholarships to more than 1,350 spouses and
children of military members serving on active-duty status. Scholarships have
been awarded in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to families
representing all branches of the Armed Forces including the Guard and
Reserves.

"With continued financial support from corporations, foundations and
individuals such as AT&T, AOL, TriWest, KPMG, The Starr Foundation, Verizon
and others, we plan to award 500 scholarships at $3,000 each for a total of
$1.5 million this year," said Michele Stork, executive director of ThanksUSA.
"We hope people across America will continue to invest in deserving young
people and in families who have done so much for our country, by donating to
the Scholarship Program via our Web site."

Previously military spouses had few scholarship opportunities. Although
military personnel have GI Bill educational benefits, the access of the
spouses and children to that same type of support was sporadic and unreliable.

Additional strain has been placed on Reserve and Guard families when they get
called to active-duty - typically interrupting their normal salary, which
hampers longer-term saving for college. In another situation, the spouse of a
wounded soldier might suddenly become the sole breadwinner. By helping him or
her finance higher education, ThanksUSA helps the family increase its
long-term earning power while reducing the near-term economic strain.

These need-based scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis to the
spouses and children of active-duty military personnel who plan to pursue a
post-secondary education, including vocational and technical training.
Recipients will be selected on the basis of financial need, demonstrated
leadership and participation in school and community activities.

Interested parties can apply online and learn more about the effort at
www.ThanksUSA.org.

About ThanksUSA
Founded in the fall of 2005, ThanksUSA, a non-partisan 501(c) (3)
organization, is an effort to thank the men and women of our armed forces and
their families for their service to the country with the gift of education.
The organization provides need-based, posts-secondary education opportunities
to the children and spouses of active duty status military personnel through
competitive scholarships. For more information visit www.ThanksUSA.org.

SOURCE ThanksUSA

Amanda Belcher, +1-202-326-1724, amanda.belcher@edelman.com, for ThanksUSA