Jun 22, 2021   SOURCE: BusinessWire

GEHA, Chiefs Come Together to Support Folds of Honor

GEHA (pronounced G.E.H.A.) and the Kansas City Chiefs today announced they are teaming up to support Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational scholarships to the families of U.S. military personnel wounded or killed while serving their country.

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Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney, a former F-16 pilot who served three tours in Iraq, founded Folds of Honor in 2007 when he realized the devastating realities families face when a loved one in uniform is fallen or disabled. Since then, the organization has awarded more than 29,000 scholarships totaling over $145 million in educational impact across all 50 states as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Italy, Germany, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. The program includes private financial tuition and tutoring for children in grades K-12, as well as higher education assistance for spouses and dependents.

“We are grateful for the life-changing support from GEHA and the Kansas City Chiefs,” said Lt. Col. Dan Rooney. “These academic scholarships are given to military spouses and children who deserve and need our help. GEHA and the Chiefs recognize the importance of an education and are doing something positive about it.”

“As a nonprofit association that focuses on serving federal employees, retired military and their families, finding a charitable organization that connects with our mission was critical. Folds of Honor was a perfect fit as there is overlap between those the organization supports and the families we serve through our medical and dental plans,” said GEHA Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Rich Bierman. “We are appreciative of the Chiefs for furthering our partnership through this important initiative and feel this is the perfect way to honor and memorialize this special group of heroes. Through this partnership we hope to find additional ways to demonstrate how thankful we are to our members for all they have done and continue to do on behalf of our nation.”

“GEHA has been a strong partner to the Chiefs over the past few years, and as our relationship has grown and evolved, we’ve remained jointly focused on creating new opportunities to give back to our local community, as well as GEHA’s member base of more than 2 million federal employees, retired military and their families,” said Chiefs President Mark Donovan. “We are proud to work with Folds of Honor and GEHA to recognize military families for their dedicated service and bravery throughout this upcoming NFL season.”

As part of this partnership, GEHA and the Chiefs will co-sponsor the Folds of Honor Kansas City Chapter’s 10th anniversary gala on Nov. 13, 2021.

About GEHA

GEHA (Government Employees Health Association, Inc., pronounced G.E.H.A.), founded in 1937, is a nonprofit member association and the largest dental and second largest medical benefit provider of federal employees exclusively serving 2 million current employees and retirees, military retirees and their families. GEHA’s mission, to empower members to be healthy and well, is demonstrated through its focus on innovation as well as providing members with access to one of the largest medical provider networks nationwide.

Headquartered in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, GEHA is one of the largest employers in the Kansas City metro area. GEHA is proud to be the official health and dental plan partner of the Kansas City Chiefs. For more information, visit geha.com.

About the Kansas City Chiefs

Founded as the Dallas Texans in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) by sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the franchise moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became known as the Kansas City Chiefs. The team currently competes in the West Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Under the guidance of the Hunt Family and the leadership of Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, the mission of the Kansas City Chiefs is to Win with Character, Unite our Community, Inspire our Fans and Honor Tradition. For information about the Kansas City Chiefs, visit chiefs.com.

About Folds of Honor

Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Our educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, as well as post-secondary tuition (two-or four-year college/university, technical or trade school). Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 29,000 scholarships totaling over $145 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on GuideStar. It was founded by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot and PGA Professional, who is currently stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida as a member of the 301st Fighter Squadron. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org/.