PenFed Foundation Donates $500,000 to Military Women’s Memorial to Honor America’s Servicewomen and Preserve History
Donation Represents Continuation of PenFed’s Partnership with Military Women’s Memorial
TYSONS, VA (August 30, 2022) — The PenFed Foundation, a national 501(c)3 founded by PenFed Credit Union, furthered its commitment to military women heroes with a $500,000 grant to support the Military Women’s Memorial. Located at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery, the Memorial is America’s only major national memorial to document all women’s service to our nation. The grant will be used to support the Military Women’s Memorial national registration campaign, redesign of the exhibition gallery and future programming.
“We are proud to stand with the Military Women’s Memorial as they continue to tell the important stories of our nation’s military women,” said James Schenck, president/CEO of PenFed Credit Union and CEO of PenFed Foundation. “I’m inspired every time I visit the memorial’s exhibition gallery or read the stories of women veterans in the Register and look forward to seeing these important elements of the memorial grow and thrive. It’s important we always remember the women who bravely served our great nation and continue to honor their sacrifice.”
The Register at the Military Women’s Memorial is a one-of-a-kind interactive database that records and preserves the names, service information, photographs and memorable experiences of each registered service woman. Though more than 3 million women have served in the Armed Forces since the American Revolution, only about 301,000 have registered their service at the Memorial.
“The Military Women’s Memorial is honored to be the recipient of such a generous grant from PenFed Foundation. Together, we will continue to honor our servicewomen and ensure their legacies and stories are known beyond the walls of the Memorial,” said Military Women’s Memorial President Phyllis Wilson. “This grant will play a critical role in our efforts to create world-class programming that puts military women and women veterans at the forefront of key and timely issues facing our military and our nation. We are privileged to be aligned with this exemplary organization–a proven champion of America’s military, its servicemembers and their families, past and present.”
In March of 2021, PenFed partnered with the Military Women’s Memorial on a social media campaign to highlight inspirational stories of military women in celebration of Women’s History Month. The campaign content produced by PenFed Digital featured women veterans from all branches of service and highlighted their stories of bravery, resilience and service and demonstrated the importance of registering with the database.
Women veterans are encouraged to visit the Memorial’s website, and updated Register database and to explore the exclusive member benefits. In addition to preserving history and inspiring future generations of girls, benefits of registration include an employment and career resource portal focused on women transitioning out of the military and women veterans seeking career advice, discounted tuition and more.
About PenFed Foundation
Founded in 2001, The PenFed Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that supports veterans in their transition from service to success. Affiliated with PenFed Credit Union, the Foundation has provided more than $50 million in financial support to veterans, active-duty service members and military families. The credit union funds the Foundation's personnel and most operational costs, allowing 99% of incoming donations to go directly to our programs. To learn more, please visit www.penfedfoundation.org.
