In honor of Veterans Day on November 11, Walsh University has created a new matching gift program to help provide vital support for student programs benefiting current and future military service members. The Frank D’Angelo Family has pledged $60,000 towards the initiative, if the University can raise matching funds. Walsh is asking for support to bring these matching dollars to campus, to provide military students with tuition assistance, support services and new programs that will help set them on the path for success beyond graduation. Through the generosity of the D’Angelo Family, your gift will have double the impact.
The matching gift initiative is just one of many ways in which Walsh supports military veterans. As a Yellow Ribbon Institution, Walsh is nationally recognized as a Military Friendly School for its work to make higher education affordable and accessible to those in the armed forces. Most recently this fall, a new crosstown partnership with Kent State University provides qualified Walsh students the opportunity to participate in Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), an officer-development program that can also pay up to the full cost of tuition.
“We believe that all veterans programs are important as they provide mental health, economic help, healthcare benefits, physical therapy, artificial limbs and emotional support to those that we owe so much,” said Frank D’Angelo ’85. “I’ve been around the Walsh community since 1980, and was so pleased that President Collins was able to get a U.S. Air Force ROTC program committed to Walsh University. This will be a great addition to the Walsh culture and Walsh Mission.”
Frank D’Angelo is a United States Air Force veteran. He credits the G.I. Bill for helping him achieve his bachelor’s degree in management as a non-traditional student, attending classes in the evening and working at Diebold during the day. Over the years, Frank and his wife, Patricia, have felt a deep personal call to support veterans’ initiatives not only at Walsh but also in their community as members of the Riverside, CA, National Cemetery Association and annual contributors to Wounded Warriors and K9s for Warriors, both based in Jacksonville, FL area. Frank and Patricia currently reside in Ponte Vedra Beach outside of Jacksonville.
“My wife’s father, now deceased, was a Pear Harbor survivor who stayed in the reserves for 35 years and obtained the rank of CWO4. Our son-in-law’s dad is a U.S. Army veteran. My sister’s husband was the first soldier wounded in the Korean conflict and was featured on the cover of Life Magazine,” said Frank. “We have two nephews who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. One is still in the Reserves and has been called upon multiple times to serve his country. All of our military, served, active or retired, deserve our respect and thanks. We owe them.”
With a career that spans 45 years in the financial services, digital banking and payment industries, Frank served several terms as a member of the Walsh University Board of Directors. Frank was honored as the Walsh University Professional Achievement Award Recipient in 2018. The D’Angelo family support over the years has included programming for veterans, the clock tower, an endowed scholarship for computer information or computer science majors, the Student Managed Investment Portfolio and the Walsh University Crest Mosaic on the exterior wall of the Marlene and Joe Toot Global Learning Center.
Please consider making a gift today. For more information, contact Vice President of Advancement Eric Belden at ebelden@walsh.edu or 330-490-7337.