Video – Montana’s Grateful Nation Program Featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (Video)

Video Story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/www.gratefulnationmontana.com#29981331

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Montana College Program that Aids Soldiers’ Families Featured on ‘NBC Nightly News’

A nonprofit organization that offers full college scholarships and outreach services to children of Montana soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan will be featured in the coming days, as a "Making a Difference" segment on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/

David Bell, an insurance executive and 1996 University of Montana graduate, and John McCarrick, a New York attorney, founded Grateful Nation http://www.gratefulnationmontana.com in 2007 as a way to give back to fallen soldiers and their families. Their pilot program was created in Montana with the goal of eventual implementation in all 50 states.

The NBC news segment will feature interviews with several widows and children of Montana soldiers recently killed, as well as a teenage recipient of a Grateful Nation scholarship who already is enrolled in the program.

The new program, which can be used to attend any school in the Montana University System, is administered at UM by Teresa Branch, vice president for Student Affairs. Program funds are managed by the UM Foundation.

UM President George Dennison said, "Grateful Nation offers an important service for the children of Americans who have made the greatest sacrifice for their country. We view it as a privilege for the University to participate in this effort. I can think of nothing more appropriate than a guarantee of education for the children of fallen heroes."

Bell said Montana has lost more soldiers per capita than any other state. Only about 10 percent of U.S. soldiers currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have a bachelor’s degree, and only 4 percent of all enlisted soldiers have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Children whose parents attended college are more likely to pursue higher education.

"The low college attendance by our infantry troops, who are the most likely to be killed in the line of duty, and the reality of a single parent left to deal with the financial and socioeconomic issues of raising a child alone, create a bitter irony," Bell said. "When an American soldier pays the ultimate price for our country, the soldier’s children are effectively sentenced to a life without the education and tools needed to help them realize the American dream."

He said Grateful Nation is changing this with a unique program that fosters a lifelong connection between universities and the surviving families of America’s fallen heroes. When a Montana soldier is killed, the Montana University System facilitates a connection between the surviving parent and one of the state universities.

Children under age 12 and their parents are brought to campuses several times a year for events to help them become part of the academic and social community. The university system contacts teachers of elementary school children with news of the scholarships, then monitors the students’ academic and social progress.

Bell said when children reach middle school, they are assigned an academic student tutor and a faculty mentor from the university. These members of the university community tutor and counsel enrolled students through high school, preparing them both academically and emotionally and giving them the resources, support and academic assistance they need to meet the challenges of a successful college experience.

Cindy McCain, wife of Arizona Sen. John McCain, joined the Grateful Nation board of directors last year after learning of the nonprofit, which is neither political nor partisan. The organization has received enthusiastic support from politicians and leaders of all parties, including Sen. Max Baucus, Sen. Jon Tester and Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

"We greatly appreciate the opportunities being created by Grateful Nation Montana," Schweitzer said. "This innovative scholarship and outreach program is a first-of-its-kind for children of Montana soldiers who have paid the ultimate price. These children will now have access to the financial resources and help with the academic requirements and mindset to attend college in Montana."

Grateful Nation now is conducting a fundraising campaign to underwrite current and future scholarships. A full description of Grateful Nation Montana’s mission and activities can be found on the organization’s Web site at http://www.gratefulnationmontana.com

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Grateful Nation helps send fallen soldiers’ children to college

By CHELSI MOY of the Missoulian

Over lunch one day, David Bell, an insurance executive, and John McCarrick, a New York attorney, were stunned by what they read in the newspaper.

The story was about a young widow whose husband was killed serving in Iraq, and the lack of federal assistance for his family, despite his sacrifice.

“We were under the impression that if you were in the military and you served your country and you were killed, that the surviving family members were taken care of,” said Bell, a University of Montana graduate who now lives in Bermuda. “The reality is that’s not the case at all.”

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/04/06/news/local/news02.txt