Nelnet Supports Active Military Families With $25,000 in Scholarships

LINCOLN, Neb., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nelnet recently donated $25,000 in funds to the ThanksUSA scholarship program, supporting spouses and dependent children of active duty U.S. military personnel. The Nelnet award provided an additional 13 military families with educational funding.

ThanksUSA is non-partisan, charitable organization created in 2005 to mobilize Americans of all ages to "thank" the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families by providing college, technical, and vocational scholarships for their children and spouses. Through one of two interconnected programs, the ThanksUSA military family scholarship program is an invaluable way for Nelnet to "thank" our troops with the gift of education.

With dreams of becoming a dietician, scholarship recipient Crystal Nelson struggled for years to pay for her education. She qualified for the award through her husband, who is currently stationed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. "My dad had to pay for my college the first three years, then he passed away two years ago, and my grandparents were helping me out for the last year. This is the first year I was able to pay for my education completely, with the help of this scholarship."

In a thank you letter to the program, Nelson wrote, "Year after year, I have applied to many scholarships and seem to fall short of receiving any help in my continued educational path. This year is my final year and this scholarship has lifted such a huge burden off of my shoulders ... this [scholarship] has made it possible for me to achieve my ultimate goal of graduating college."

"We are delighted to be able to make this unique contribution to U.S. military families," said David Bottegal, Chief Executive Officer of Nelnet's Education Services division. "Our military troops sacrifice so much for our nation; Nelnet is thrilled to give something back by awarding those who support them at home in their higher education dreams."

Nelnet regards charitable giving as a corporate responsibility. In the company's aim of making educational dreams possible, Nelnet awards more than one million dollars annually in scholarships and donations to various organizations.

For 28 years, Nelnet has been helping education-seeking families plan for their education, pay for their education, and prepare for their careers. The company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in products, services, and technology improvements for students and the educational institutions they attend. These services include live counseling to guide families through all aspects of the financial aid process, benefits for borrowers, including tens of millions of dollars in fee reductions, and Nelnet-sponsored scholarships. Nelnet serves students in 50 states, employs approximately 3,700 associates, and has $22.4 billion in net student loan assets.

Additional information is available at http://www.nelnet.net/.

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