If there’s one thing we’re proud of at LSDS™, it’s our incredible team. We want to give you the chance to learn more about each of our team members. Each month we’ll be interviewing a different team member about how they give back through other charities.
July's employee volunteer spotlight focuses on Chris Spence, Unit Solutions Project Lead. Read on to learn more about how and why he chooses to give back.
What motivated you to work with your organization?
In 2013 I was asked if I would be interested in working with the Special Forces Scholarship
Fund, to serve at the Program Director for the 5th Special Forces Group Branch. The
reason I got involved is due to the programs underlying goal, which is to provide merit-
based scholarships to the children of Green Berets. This is the only 501c3 program devoted
solely to this purpose.
What makes this volunteer experience a meaningful use of your time?
When you spend 19 years of your life, working in and around the Special Operations
Community, it becomes your second family. Now by working with the Special Forces
Scholarship Fund, it allows me to give back to that community in a meaningful way with my
time.
What is the biggest personal benefit that you receive as a volunteer with your
organization?
Every year we have an award ceremony for all the awardees who can attend. When we
first starting in 2013, we awarded 19 scholarships totaling $27,500 dollars. Since that
time, through a lot of hard work and outreach to a gracious community, we awarded 81
scholarships totaling $202,500 dollars. Watching our slow but steady growth and the
impact we have on family’s lives is by far the biggest benefit.
What is the most memorable accomplishment of your volunteer experience?
Reading the unsolicited thank you letters. Each year many of the awardees send thank you
letters with their acceptance form. Most of the letters are a simple thank you, but others
talk about how life changing this scholarship is. One, outlined the fact she would probably
never go to college, because she was the 3rd child and her parents had already sent her two
older siblings and they just could not afford to send her as well. She stated this scholarship
is giving her a chance to pursue something, she left out of her reach. These are the stories,
that make every hour spent volunteering worth it.
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