Dog Tag Brewing Foundation Awards Grant to Southwest Gold Star Family

For more information, contact:
Robert Jackson
Communications, Marketing and Community Relations
901-333-4116
rjackson@southwest.tn.edu

Southwest Tennessee Community College’s SSG Daniel D. Merriweather Scholarship benefits the immediate family members of military servicemen and women who died in service to our nation, known as Gold Star Families. Dog Tag Brewing Foundation recently awarded Southwest a $5,000 grant for the Merriweather scholarship as part of its nationwide effort to support the legacy projects of 20 Gold Star Families in 17 states. This recent round of grants is awarded to families who are creating a long-lasting legacy for their fallen warrior by inspiring and giving back to their community.

The grant awarded to Southwest will support the Smash Up Fitness Fundraiser in memorial to SSG Daniel D. Merriweather who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. This annual fundraiser combines working out and celebrating Daniel's life. The Merriweather Scholarship Fund awards book scholarships to full and part-time Southwest nursing students who maintain a 2.5 GPA or better.

Merriweather’s mother, Pamela Finnie, who was a scholarship recipient at Southwest and is a graduate of Southwest’s nursing program, and her husband Darryl, created the scholarship in 2012 to honor their son and support other Southwest students. “The nursing program is intensive,” Finnie said. “I couldn’t work enough to help pay for all of it. The scholarship I received really made a difference. I wanted to make a difference and honor the fact that my son made a difference,” Finnie added. I believe this scholarship does that. I hope it impacts someone’s life in a special way and gives them what they need to finish.

Dog Tag offers financial grants followed by free consulting and advisory services for Gold Star Families through nonprofit professionals. Many times, families wish to do something special in the name of their loved one, but are new to nonprofits and how they operate. Dog Tag wishes to help these deserving families navigate this journey with confidence and financial means to create the most special organization possible.