November 9, 2023 – The Charlotte Hornets Foundation announced last night it has donated $100,000 to the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation – a national nonprofit that provides college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty – as its annual Military Grant. The donation will help provide scholarship funding and assistance to six deserving students as they pursue their undergraduate studies at North Carolina universities.
“The work that Children of Fallen Patriots does to support families of combat casualties and military training accidents is remarkable,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment Executive Vice President & COO and Charlotte Hornets Foundation President James R. Jordan, who served 31 years in the U.S. Army. “I am proud that our organization is able to do our part to ensure that these students and their families will have less of a financial burden as they attend to the college or university of their choice.”
The students who will receive support via this grant include: Katarina, a freshman at Elon University; Juantrea, a sophomore at UNC Charlotte pursuing an anthropology degree; Nahsir, a sophomore at Methodist University majoring in business administration; Cheyenne, a junior at UNC Charlotte pursuing degrees in biology and chemistry; Emily, a senior at St. Andrews University majoring in business; and Tyler, a freshman at UNC Charlotte pursuing a degree in architecture.
“It is an honor to work with community partners and leaders like the Charlotte Hornets, who understand the needs of our military families and the importance of an education,” said Children of Fallen Patriots Co-Founder and CEO David Kim. “Without them, we couldn’t do what we do – send thousands of proud scholars to schools across the country.”
Children of Fallen Patriots reports that nearly 20,000 dependents have been left behind by troops fallen in the line of duty over the past 35 years. Many surviving families struggle to make ends meet with 53% of surviving spouses making less than $50,000 per year. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has awarded more than $61 million in support to over 2,700 children, including over 1,300 graduates.
Hornets Sports & Entertainment Co-Chairman & Alternate Governor Gabe Plotkin, a member of the Children of Fallen Patriots Board of Advisors, and Jordan presented custom basketballs painted by local muralist Raman Bhardwaj to four of the six students on court during the Hornets’ game last night against the Washington Wizards.