AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- A $250,000 gift to the Veterans of Foreign Wars' Operation Uplink free call day program by Georgetown-based Sport Clips is expected to provide more than 6.5 million minutes of free calls home for soldiers over the holidays. Sport Clips' quarter-of-a-million-dollar donation is the single largest corporate gift to the program to date and will make available free call days for deployed and hospitalized American military on December 25, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, and July 4.
On behalf of the nation's leading men's and boys' hair care franchise, Sport Clips Founder/CEO and lifetime VFW Member Gordon Logan presented the gift today to VFW Commander in Chief Thomas J. "Tommy" Tradewell of Kansas City. Roy J. Grona, State Adjutant/Quartermaster of the Department of Texas VFW; James Nier, Past National Commander in Chief; Glen Gardner, Past National Commander in Chief; Mike Barber, Texas Commander; Wayne DePute, Texas Senior Vice Commander; John Spahr, Texas Junior Vice Commander; and 2nd Lt. Joseph Meller who is with the Texas Army National Guard and has served in Iraq were also in attendance at the Texas VFW Headquarters in Austin. The donation doubled Sport Clips' 2009 goal of raising $125,000 and represents funds raised by company team members and clients from the franchise's 670 locations across the country.
"Our commitment to the men and women who are serving our country as well as their family and friends is strong, and we appreciate all those who worked to make this landmark donation possible," Logan said. "The memory of wanting to call home during my days overseas is one that stays with me. So, we will continue our commitment to our deployed and hospitalized troops through Operation Uplink and to the military at home with special pricing in our stores."
Logan added, "We had the largest response to date of stores in our system reaching out in their communities to support Operation Uplink through cut-a-thons we held on Veterans' Day, where $1 for every haircut went to support the program. We are grateful to our clients who showed their support for our troops with additional donations."
This is Sport Clips' third year to support Operation Uplink. In 2007, Sport Clips kicked off its first Operation Uplink effort with a goal of $30,000 and was exceeded by raising $87,000. In 2008, the sports-themed haircutter raised more than $120,000 for the VFW program.
Sport Clips has been named one of the top 100 franchises in America and one of the top 50 fastest growing franchises by Entrepreneur magazine and is the "Official Haircutter" of the VFW. The franchise also supports the military with special store ownership options through the International Franchise Association's VetFran program. For more information about Sport Clips visit SportClips.com.