Defense Transportation Journal

Page 22

This article is the second in a three part series that is taking a closer look at the NDTA Foundation.

The NDTA Foundation Where the Scholarship Money Really Goes By Sharon Lo, Director of Public Relations, NDTA It comes as a big surprise to many of our members that NDTA has been operating a foundation that has made frequent contributions to the Association’s success for decades. In fact, the NDTA Foundation celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2011.

A couple years ago, several very well-known charities got in trouble for the amount of the money they earned that was actually going to good use (or, more accurately, not going to good use). Many had high overhead costs and, in some cases, as little as ten cents of every dollar was actually going toward their cause. Having worked for a non-profit for nearly eight years, I can certainly understand that these organizations need money to operate. However, even I was shocked at these numbers, and moreover, I was disappointed that donors’ hard-earned and wellintended money was not being used as they thought it would. When I sat down to write this article, it was important for me to let you know exactly where your donations to the NDTA scholarship funds go—to deserving students. You see, when you make a donation to the NDTA Scholarship Fund, one hundred percent of the money actually goes to funding scholarships. To help provide a more in-depth look into exactly where these funds go, a few of our past scholarship winners have agreed to share their stories with us.

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Defense Transportation Journal

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June 2014

LT Jason D. Weeks, USA NDTA Scholarship Recipient 2008 Thanks to the scholarship from NDTA, as well as my Army ROTC scholarship, I had the means to graduate from Auburn University with a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering and receive my commission from the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps. Upon completion of the Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Lee, VA, I reported to B Co, 426 BSB, 1 BCT, 101 ABN DIV (AASLT) and served as a Platoon Leader for 19 months. I was able to train as a multi-functional logistician here at Fort Campbell, as well as at Fort Knox and Fort Polk during a Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) Rotation prior to deploying to Jalalabad Airfield in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XIV. Thanks to the tuition assistance, I was able to accomplish one of the most rewarding opportunities— leading soldiers. I continue to lead soldiers as the Executive Officer in the Forward Support Company for 2-327th IN REG “NO SLACK” for 1 BCT. And whether I embark on another deployment with the Bastogne Brigade, go on to Captain’s Career Course at Fort Lee, VA, or transition to the civilian workforce to be an Industrial Engineer for (hopefully) an automotive company, ultimately, I would never have had these enormous opportunities without the help of the NDTA.


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