This past year, with the average cost of tuition $11,171 for residents at state colleges,$26,809 for out-of-state schools and $41,411 for private colleges, many Veterans struggled to afford higher education. This comes despite the monies the military offers through the GI Bill.
Donnie Gray, an Air Force Veteran and computer science student at the University of Pittsburgh, explained, “The GI bill is often not enough to pay for rent, groceries and car insurance. Sometimes you just need that little bit extra, so whatever OVArts is going todo to help students, it’s going to be invaluable.”
Many Veteran students and their families are concerned about the rising cost of tuition and college-related expenses. They may consider taking out student loans, but these loans can often come at a steep price. Not wanting to incur large amounts of student debt, Veteran students may forgo a college education altogether.
In the process of designing and constructing public art, participants in our Veteran Design Teams become inspired by the design, engineering and construction process yet lack the resources to follow a new educational path. In its continuing effort to assist our Veterans, OVArts has decided to provide two Veteran scholarships in the fields of fine art, design, architecture and engineering.
industry news: Ovarts receives major steel donation
Groundbreaking Ceremony for In the Shade of Service
On May 13, 2022, Operation Valor Arts (OVArts) and project partner, ACTION-Housing, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for In the Shade of Service, an 18ft high stainless and Corten steel sculpture at 1844 Ardmore Boulevard, Forest Hills, PA. The ceremony marked the completion of the sculpture’s design by a team of Veterans assembled by Operation Valor Arts.
Speakers for the ceremony included PA State Senator, Jay Costa; Allegheny County Executive, Rich Fitzgerald; Forest Hills Mayor, Frank Porko. Mayor Porko expressed his delight that The Tree City will soon have its first piece of public art.
Comments were made by Design Team members, Nicole Langhorst and Veteran Tony Herman well as Charlene Cunningham from the Tenants Council. Installation of In the Shade of Service is planned for the Spring of 2023.