Meritor announced that it has made a $50,000 contribution to the Wyakin Warrior Foundation, which mentors and gives financial assistance to veterans who are pursuing degrees.

Meritor launched its Shoes for Soldiers campaign in January, which gave a percentage of remanufactured brake shoe sales to the Wyakin Warrior Foundation. The company’s $50,000 contribution includes a $20,000 match from the Meritor Trust Fund.

“Meritor has a long history of supporting the U.S. military, and we designed Shoes for Soldiers to help the Wyakin Warrior Foundation fulfill its mission of positioning severely wounded veterans for success,” said Krista Sohm, vice president, marketing and communications for Meritor.

Veterans in the Wyakin Warrior program attend monthly professional development seminars, work on building job skills and a professional network and work toward completing a certification or degree. Completion of the program culminates in a job placement.

The Wyakin program focuses on the most severely injured or ill military personnel who face difficulties in building a successful civilian life. The program currently supports 26 veterans.

“It’s important to assist wounded veterans who have the motivation but lack the education and training to become leaders in business, government and community,” said Tim Bauer, director of remanufacturing for Meritor. “These men and women have made tremendous sacrifices for us, and they’ve earned the kind of developmental assistance Wyakin offers.”