The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) honors our fallen diplomats, working to recognize their service and sacrifice by providing educational assistance to surviving children through FEEA’s Diplomatic Fund. The Fund was set up by the Department of State and the Department of Defense in August 1995 to help the families of three individuals who were killed while on a diplomatic mission in Bosnia. The Federal Diplomatic Family Assistance Fund-Africa (FDFAF-Africa) was added after the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa. This education fund helps pay the costs of a college education for the children of the 12 Americans killed in the bombings. A $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in December 2004 increased the funding available for these scholarships to $34,000 per child, spread out across four years. As more children are added to the list it is imperative we increase funding to ensure each child who has lost a parent will receive at least $8,500 per year in scholarship assistance.
Today, we stand with the families of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and diplomats Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty, who sacrificed their lives in service to our nation. Mr. Smith and Mr. Woods leave behind several young children whose future education FEEA seeks to secure.
Donations may be made via credit card on FEEA’s web site at www.feea.org/Give by choosing “Diplomatic Fund” from the drop-down list of funds. Donations via check made out to “FEEA Diplomatic Fund” may be sent to: FEEA Headquarters, 3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300, Lakewood, CO 80227.
