VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — When people sign up to serve in the U.S. military, they're not the only ones who may have to make sacrifices. Their families, while encountering unique experiences, may also be met with unique demands.
Joy Eyrolles, who is married to a retired Navy servicemember, said military life can be marked by lots of uncertainty.
"They're dealing with everything the sailors are," Eyrolles said. "They're dealing with multiple moves. They're dealing with long deployments and having that special loved one far, far away from them."
Her experience as a military wife and previous work fundraising with nonprofits, Eyrolles said, eventually led her to become part of the Anchor Scholarship Foundation. The nonprofit organization financially supports the academic pursuits of the families of active duty, retired, and honorably discharged members of the Surface Navy, which consists of ships like destroyers, cruisers, and frigates.
It's just a chance for me to help my own community, and I've loved it every single day," Eyrolles said, who serves as the foundation's executive director. "We try to take that one more burden off that family and help them with their college or industry certification tuition."
The foundation started in 1980 by awarding $2,000 across four scholarships. Since then, the group has provided $1.6 million in scholarships to more than 1,300 Surface Navy dependents nationwide, officially becoming a nonprofit in 2004.
"We fundraise for everything that we award each year, and part of that is our events," Eyrolles said, which include an annual 5k & fun run as well as golf tournaments. "We also have wonderful donors that give to us year over year."
Last year alone, the foundation gave $153,000 to 44 military dependents.
Eyrolles said that Anchor scholarship awards are based largely on four eligibility criteria-- "character, academics, extracurriculars, and financial need"-- which help the selection committee paint a detailed picture of the interests, achievements, and needs of each applicant. The nonprofit also gives endowed and administered scholarships that may have additional criteria.
She also noted that a substantial amount of the nonprofit's funds support people in communities across the Hampton Roads region and throughout the state, and that "43 percent of our students" who received scholarships in the latest round of distributions are from Virginia. But the impact on Surface Navy family members extends beyond just paying for education.
"They've been able to purchase a car after graduation so they can get to and from their new job," Eyrolles said. "They've been able to buy their homes much sooner than their peers, because they don't have student loans or a significant student loan to pay off."
The foundation's goal is to show support for military dependents and invest in their future.
"We don't want to only be the opportunity for today," Eyrolles said. "We want to create those opportunities for their entire lives."
Scholarships are currently applied only to tuition and are split between the fall and spring semesters. The application reopens to Surface Navy family members on October 1.
Visit the Anchor Scholarship Foundation website for more information, including how to make a donation. You can also follow the group on Facebook and LinkedIn.