In 1962, Brigadier General Martin F. Rockmore USMC (Ret) learned of a Marine WWII Medal of Honor recipient who was financially unable to send his child to college. General Rockmore was inspired to create an organization that honored Marines by empowering their children through education. After an initial fundraising event, which sent that one Medal of Honor recipient's child to college, the Scholarship Foundation grew thanks to an enormous volunteer effort. Since that time, 25,000+ scholarships valued at more than $60 million have been given to deserving students, including more than 1,400 for the 2010-2011 academic year.