searchIT 

Treasure hunts are all the rage, from Disney's hit film, "National Treasure," to NBC's new show, "Treasure Hunters." This summer, everyone can participate in a treasure hunt and earn a chance to win prizes while donating to a cause: academic scholarships for the children and spouses of U.S. soldiers. A desire to thank the troops motivated Rachel and Kelsi Okun, sisters from McLean, Va., to create ThanksUSA, a nationwide treasure hunt to benefit military families. Among the prizes are a Harley-Davidson motorcycle; a big-screen home theater system; and trips to the 2007 Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, London and Cairo, Egypt. All prizes were donated by sponsors. The Okuns' virtual treasure hunt contains 12 "chapters," which are posted online in a clue book. Each chapter tests participants' knowledge of American history, popular culture, geography and trivia pertaining to a certain state. Those who correctly answer the questions in each chapter are eligible to win a prize. Players who successfully answer all 12 stages are eligible to win the $100,000 grand prize package including a Washington, D.C., adventure to search for a treasure chest filled with jewelry, rare gems and centuries-old coins. ThanksUSA is short for "Treasure Hunt Aiding Needs of Kids (and spouses) of those Serving the United States of America." The hunt is open to any U.S. citizen and lasts through Sept. 5. Participation is free, but donations toward the scholarships are strongly encouraged. "The least we could do for those heroes of America is to help their children and spouses have a brighter future as they are helping all of the U.S.'s spouses and children have better futures, too," writes Rachel, 10, in an essay describing how the idea came to fruition. Rachel and Kelsi came up with the concept after reading Michael Stadther's book, "A Treasure's Trove." The sisters designed ThanksUSA's logo and helped with research for the questions. The clues were a collaborative effort among the girls, their parents, a teacher and other volunteers. "We wanted to say thank you to our troops and wanted to show that we care about them," says 8-year-old Kelsi. By: Rudolph Rodriguez

• Fisher House Foundation Scholarship Programs
  Providing a home away from home for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. Because a family's love is ...http://www.militaryscholar.org/
• Scholarships for Military Family Members - College Scholarships ...
  The military and many colleges and universities offer scholarships and other aid programs for family members of military personnel. In many cases awards are generous.http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/family.htm
• Military Report - Military Family Scholarships
  Military Family Scholarships. Here are websites with information on scholarships for military family members: (1) Severely injured Servicemembers and Spouse ...http://www.military.com/military-report/military-family-scholarships
• Folds of Honor Foundation awards more than 360 scholarships to ...
  Folds of Honor Foundation awards more than 360 scholarships to military familieshttp://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/2009/news/folds_081209.cfm
• Scholarships for Military Children Program
  Providing a home away from home for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. Because a family's love is ...http://militaryscholar.org/sfmc/index.html
• Scholarships for Military Families | eHow.com
  Many American families struggle to pay for college. This is particularly true for families with many children, disabled members or absent heads-of-household. The good ...http://www.ehow.com/info_7779053_scholarships-military-families.html
• National Military Family Association: Scholarships
  National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit committed to strengthen and protect the families of the men and women currently serving, retired ...http://www.militaryfamily.org/resources/links/scholarships.html
• National Military Family Association: National Military Family ...
  National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit committed to ... Top Links. Hot Topics. Scholarships. Operation Purple Program. Deploymenthttp://www.militaryfamily.org/
• Military - Scholarship - Students - UMUC
  President Gerald A. Heeger Tribute Scholarship. Active-duty military students, guard or reservists, or their immediate family members; Preference given to those that were ...http://www.umuc.edu/students/aid/scholarships/militaryscholarships/index.cfm
• Walter Reed Wounded Warriors Play in ThanksUSA Charity Golf ...
  ... in ThanksUSA Charity Golf Tournament, Helping Families ... Military ... Scholarshipshttp://www.intelligent.net/?q=news/press-releases/walter-reed-wounded-warriors-play-thanksusa-charity-golf-tournament-helping-0