Billy Leach, Manager, External Marketing Communications
Pilot, the nation’s largest travel center network, is funding scholarships for the next generation of professional truck drivers in honor of Giving Tuesday. The $50,000 donation to Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members and first responders who have fallen or been disabled while serving their country and communities, will go toward scholarships for qualified recipients looking to earn their commercial driver's license.
"It’s an honor for Pilot to continue to celebrate and honor the incredible heroes across our country - the truck drivers who safely put millions of miles on our highways to keep us going and our servicemembers, first responders and their families who sacrifice so much for our nation,” said Wendy Hamilton, chief of staff at Pilot. “Giving back to the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the communities we serve, especially through education, is a small way to show our gratitude and support their future. We look forward to seeing more truck drivers out here and are thankful for the work done through Folds of Honor and their scholarship programs.”
Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 62,000 academic scholarships totaling about $290 million in all 50 states. The $50,000 donation from Pilot will provide Folds of Honor with resources to further support the education of the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military personnel and first responders across the country.
"Folds of Honor is grateful for the support of Pilot,” said Folds of Honor CEO and founder, Lt Col Dan Rooney. "This contribution will enable us to heighten our impact and further our mission to honor the sacrifice of America’s service members and first responders and educate their legacy. Pilot, its team members and the individuals it serves are true patriots that understand the importance of education and are doing something about it.”
Pilot proudly employs veterans and encourages former and transitioning military members and their families to apply by visiting jobs.pilotflyingj.com/talent-communities. For more information about Pilot’s commitment to giving back and its family of travel center brands, visit pilotcompany.com. To learn more about Folds of Honor, visit foldsofhonor.org.
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About Pilot
Pilot Travel Centers LLC ("Pilot") is committed to showing people they matter at every turn as the leading energy and experience provider people rely on to fuel their journeys. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and employs approximately 30,000 team members. As the largest network of travel centers, Pilot has nearly 900 locations in 44 states and six Canadian provinces, serving an average of 1.2 million guests per day. In addition to travel center services, Pilot and its partners offer trucking fleets a variety of solutions for fuel, credit, factoring, maintenance and rewards. The company operates North America's third largest fuel tanker fleet and supplies approximately 12 billion gallons of fuel per year. Pilot is shaping the future of energy as one of the largest providers of biodiesel and renewable fuels and through the development of its EV charging network and low carbon fueling alternatives. For additional information about Pilot, visit pilotflyingj.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 US military service members and first responders who have fallen or been disabled while serving our country and communities. Our educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, tuition for college, technical or trade school and post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program. Funds for a second bachelor’s degree or trade/technical program certification are also available. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships totaling about $290 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 45 percent are minorities. A total of 91 percent of every dollar raised directly funds scholarships. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on Candid. It was founded by Lt Col Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot (with three combat tours in Iraq) and PGA Professional. He is currently stationed at Headquarters Air Force Recruiting Service at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org.