Sport Clips Haircuts raised $1.33 million for the VFW Foundation’s Help A Hero Scholarship program in 2025, bringing their 14-year relationship total to more than $18 million. The annual campaign mobilizes Sport Clips locations across all 50 states behind a single mission: funding scholarships for student veterans.
The 2025 campaign ran from September through Veterans Day, with participating Sport Clips locations offering customers the opportunity to donate at checkout. Team members across the network promoted the initiative through in-store signage, social media, and community events featuring local VFW Post members.
“Sport Clips has been with us since the beginning of Help A Hero,” said the VFW Foundation’s Director of Corporate Relations. “Their team doesn’t just support the program — they champion it. That’s the difference between a sponsor and a supporter.”
This year’s funds will support approximately 180 scholarships for veterans pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, financial need, and commitment to community service after military transition.
From Combat Medic to Registered Nurse
Army veteran Marcus Thompson knows firsthand what Help A Hero makes possible. After two deployments as a combat medic in Afghanistan, Thompson enrolled in nursing school at the University of Texas at Arlington. The transition was harder than he expected.
“I had the GI Bill, but it wasn’t enough to cover everything,” Thompson said. “Between tuition, clinical fees, and living expenses, I was looking at taking on significant debt or dropping out. The Help A Hero scholarship changed that math completely.”
Thompson graduated with honors in May 2025 and now works in the emergency department at a Dallas-area hospital. He credits his military medical training — and the scholarship that allowed him to finish school — with preparing him for high-pressure patient care.
Sport Clips doesn’t just support the program — they champion it. That’s the difference between a sponsor and a supporter.
A Platform That Compounds
The Help A Hero Scholarship program has supported more than 3,200 student veterans since 2014. Each recipient receives funding for tuition, books, and living expenses while pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees at accredited institutions.
For Sport Clips, the relationship delivers measurable brand alignment with veteran causes. Store-level activations during the campaign period generate customer engagement, employee pride, and earned media coverage in local markets nationwide.
“This is what strategic relationship looks like,” said VFW Foundation Executive Director. “Sport Clips doesn’t just write a check. They activate their entire network — stylists, customers, and communities — behind the mission.”