A recent $25,000 donation from HCA Healthcare Inc. and HCA Healthcare Foundation to the MTSU Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center will jump-start the new Avery King Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The establishing of the new scholarship fund will help many service members, veterans, spouses and their families live their best lives, a Daniels Center official said.

The Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center is located on the first floor of the Keathley University Center. The center recently received a $25,000 donation from HCA Healthcare/HCA Healthcare Foundation, establishing the Avery King Memorial Scholarship Fund. (MTSU photo)

Announced by HCA earlier this month, the donation was part of $150,000 the company donated to veteran support organizations. They included REBOOT Recovery, A Soldier’s Child, Operation Stand Down Tennessee and MTSU’s Daniels Center. HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers.

Avery King

The late Avery King was a U.S. Air Force veteran who was instrumental in the creation of HCA’s Military Affairs Program for veterans and military spouses. King, 60, who died Sept. 22, was a Murfreesboro resident.

Keith M. Huber

“Thanks to this donation, the MTSU Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center will establish the Avery King Memorial Scholarship Fund to support the financial needs of U.S. military service members, veterans and military spouses and children who are enrolled students at Middle Tennessee State University,” said Keith M. Huber, MTSU senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives.

“Avery was committed to assisting veterans and military spouses with transition assistance and employment, and we know this scholarship will provide a lasting legacy of Avery’s work,” added Huber, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general.

MTSU’s Daniels Center will begin awarding scholarships from the fund in 2022.

Sherri Neal

When HCA made the announcement Nov. 9, Sherri Neal, the company’s chief diversity officer said “HCA Healthcare is proud to support and honor our nation’s veterans and military spouses for their service to our country.

“Today, we are especially honored to celebrate the life and legacy of Avery King, a treasured member of the HCA Healthcare family, by contributing to several organizations. We hope our gift will positively impact the veteran community here in Tennessee and across the country.”

Since 2012, HCA Healthcare has hired more than 40,000 veterans, active-duty personnel and military spouses, and received national recognitions for hiring and benefits offered for veterans and military personnel.

About the Daniels Center

The Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, named for the late Country Music Hall of Fame member and his wife, Hazel, serves student veterans and their family members, both virtually and in-person. The 3,200-square-foot suite is located on the first floor in the Keathley University Center.

The largest dedicated space for student veterans on a Tennessee higher education campus, the Daniels Center is a one-stop-shop to meet a wide range of academic, career and social needs. It is designed as a place where veterans can see other veterans, ask questions and receive the trusted assistance needed to transition successfully to the civilian workforce.

For more information, call 615-904-8347.