Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Duncan.
Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The Folds of Honor was started in 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, a former F-16 fighter pilot and PGA golf professional. The story of how the foundation was started is actually his story to tell so I will let him do just that by sharing the following video with you: https://vimeo.com/129145794
Since 2007, the Folds of Honor has awarded close to 16,000 educational scholarships for the students and spouses of our fallen or wounded service members.
I, personally, got involved with the Folds of Honor back in 2009. I was a sophomore at Auburn University and discovered the Folds of Honor via a google search. I am the daughter of Captain Dennis Michael White of the United States Air Force. It was Easter weekend of 1995 when my dad went out for a routine flight check (he was a WSO in the backseat of the F-15 Stryker Eagle) off the coast of North Carolina. They were practicing formations and that day something went wrong and they were forced to eject. Early the next morning, my family and I received that fateful knock at the door from the squadron commander, the squadron commander’s wife, a preacher, and our neighbor letting us know that there had been an accident. Because it was over the Atlantic Ocean, they had not yet found my dad’s body.
Several hours went by of us hoping and praying and wishing for the best before they finally came back to let us know that our worst fear had come true and that day the Lord decided to call my dad home. April 18th, 1995 my life and my family’s life would change forever.
Almost 23 years later, we still miss my dad every single day. I was just six years old at the time, my younger brother was four, and I remember at the time thinking my dad would never be here to celebrate another birthday with me. (I guess that’s what’s important to you when you’re six?) I’m now 28 years old and my priorities have obviously changed and while I’m not upset on my birthday every year, there are certainly many milestones and celebrations that I wish my dad could be here for. This past May, I got married to the most incredible man and while it was, by far, the absolute best day of my life, there was still an empty chair there that day where I wish my dad could have been sitting. Time has passed and healing has come and we lead very blessed lives but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him and miss him.
As the oldest child, when I started applying for college and looking into financial aid opportunities, we quickly realized how little help there was for families like mine. As an example, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, there are close to 1.5 million dependents.
Nearly 9 out of 10 of these dependents don’t qualify for any financial assistance. When I discovered the Folds of Honor and applied for a scholarship, we were fortunate enough to receive one. It was the only financial assistance I would receive regarding my dad’s sacrifice. For me, it served as a financial relief for my mom and I. But more than that, it means so much to know that there are a group of people out there like the people at the Folds of Honor who wake up every day and commit to honoring and remembering the sacrifice that not only my dad made on that April day, but the sacrifice that our family made as well. For this gold star daughter, that’s a gift that you can’t put a price tag on.
I spent the rest of my college career speaking for the Folds of Honor and helping to raise awareness about the amazing work they were doing. I graduated from Auburn University in 2011 and randomly moved to Dallas, TX for a job in medical sales. It was about that time that the Folds of Honor started a chapter in North Texas and I quickly got involved when they asked me if I would be willing to serve on their Board of Directors. A few years later, they asked me if I would be willing to quit my job and come on board full time. I now work as a Regional Development Officer for the Folds of Honor, helping to raise money for an organization that changed my life.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I started with the Folds of Honor, I had no clue what I was doing. When you work for a non-profit foundation, you tend to wear a lot of different hats. I had no idea that I would one day be fundraising for a non-profit foundation, planning events, working on cause marketing campaigns, speaking publicly in front of large groups of people. I’ve been on board full time for three years now and learn something new every day. It’s been absolutely amazing to watch the foundation grow and know that I’m growing right alongside them both personally and professionally.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Firstly, our mission is unambiguous. We provide educational scholarships for the students and spouses of our fallen or wounded service members. With that being said, when you donate to or partner with the Folds of Honor, you know EXACTLY where your money is going. It’s going towards educating our military families who have sacrificed on behalf of all of our freedom.
Secondly, since inception between 80 and 90 cents of every dollar that’s been donated has gone directly back to scholarships (with a goal of staying around the 87% mark.) (We are actually trying to find someone who would be willing to start an endowment to help pay all of our expense so that 100% of the money people donate will go back to scholarships.) With that being said, ratios like that are few and far between in the non-profit space, especially in the military non-profit space. We work very hard to keep those ratios intact and aside from the amazing families we serve, it’s what we are most proud of.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely. I don’t know a community or a part of the country that is more philanthropic and giving than the people that are here in Texas. I also don’t know a group of people in this country that are more patriotic than the people here in Texas. We have amazing Folds of Honor chapters all across the country, and I am so thankful and proud to be a part of the North Texas chapter. The sky is the limit for the amount of support for the Folds of Honor that can come from the people here in North Texas!
Pricing:
- Our scholarships are given in $5,000 increments.
- $5,000 equals one scholarship for a deserving military family who has sacrificed for our freedoms.
Contact Info:
- Address: Folds of Honor
8551 N 125th E Ave, Suite 100
Owasso, OK 74055 - Website: www.foldsofhonor.org
- Phone: 918-274-4700
- Email: sduncan@foldsofhonor.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foldsofhonor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoldsOfHonor/ or https://www.facebook.com/FoldsOfHonorNorthTX/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FoldsofHonor
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