CANTON -- The SUNY Canton Student Veterans Association and a college alumnus have joined together to establish an endowed scholarship to benefit a SUNY Canton veteran student or a spouse or family member of a former service member.

The association raised the funds for the scholarship over the past two years by selling t-shirts and challenge coins and holding raffles on campus. After raising a significant amount of their goal, John L. Halford Sr., a SUNY Canton alumnus and longstanding supporter of the college, donated the rest of the funds to endow the scholarship. Halford is a World War II United States Marine Corps veteran, a charter member of the Gouverneur Veterans of Foreign Wars and a lifelong member of the Masons.

The Student Veterans Association is made up of veterans and current service members, as well as spouses, family and friends of those who served our country. Their mission is to promote and advocate for the needs of veterans both on campus and within the community. They strive to support the educational goals of veterans and their families.