Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) will hold a virtual celebration, “The Impact of IMPACT!,” signifying FIDF’s IMPACT! scholarship program has reached its chai milestone—18 years of life-changing support. This first-ever online FIDF IMPACT! event will take place on Sunday, August 2. The event will begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT. There will be an encore screening at 6:00 p.m. EDT.

The event program will be filled with IMPACT! scholarship recipients, both current students and graduates who have already seen great success after entering the workforce.

FIDF’s four-year scholarships are given to former combat soldiers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, enabling them to achieve their dreams of higher education. This one-of-a-kind program also provides funds to cover soldiers’ living expenses while they study and gives them the unique benefit of direct contact with their FIDF sponsors.

Since the program’s founding in 2002, FIDF has sponsored students from 66 countries of origin. Over 92% of IMPACT! recipients graduate successfully compared to the Israeli national average of 70-81% graduation rate. With the success of the program, some 16,130 students and alumni are represented in nearly every field, and dozens are now donors themselves.

In addition, each scholarship recipient completes 130 hours of community service during each year of their scholarship as a way to give back and help others. Since the inception of the program, IMPACT! students have volunteered over 6.1 million hours of community service, making it the No. 1 scholarship program in providing community service in Israel.

Registration is open for the event at https://www.fidf.org/events/impact-impact.