Scholarships

Grace Hurley
$3000 Award Recipient

Next fall I will be attending Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee as a Biology major with a minor in Youth Recreational Ministries. Throughout high school, I participated in many activities including Best Buddies, Young Life Capernaum, Special Olympics where I worked with individuals with disabilities. Working with individuals with special needs has become the main focus of my life in the past years and has truly become one of my passions. e friends I have met through Best Buddies have truly inspired me to help in my community, and have changed my life in countless ways. Next year, I look forward to getting involved in Best Buddies and similar organizations in Nashville and furthering my academics.

Hope Hudgins
$2000 Award Recipient

In the fall, I will be attending Auburn University where I plan to study Global Studies in Human Sciences. I am planning for my area of focus to be on philanthropy and non-pro t organization. Over the last four years, I have attended my church’s mission trips to various areas around the United States. While we are there, we work directly with local families to help rebuild their homes, including work stemming anywhere from interior and exterior painting, underpinning trailers, pouring concrete, rebuilding their roof, building handicap ramps, etc.

My other favorite volunteer activity is participating in my church’s food pantry at Wildwood Presbyterian every month. In 2016, I was elected the youth deacon for my church. One of my tasks included running the church food pantry by making sure guests were checked in, served, and enough food was ordered every month. I am excited to continue this service in the fall in hopes of eventually joining the Peace Corp right out of college.

Eric Pappas
$1000 Award Recipient

I plan to attend the University of Dayton this fall to study Computer Science. In high school, I balanced my academics with a part-time job at Culver’s, played lacrosse, and found time for service. I was active in both Interact and Habitat for Humanity service-based clubs at Lake Zurich High School, volunteered monthly at PADS of Lake County homeless shelter, and supported a variety of service events in the community. My favorite activity by far is the Challenger Baseball Program. rough this program, I coach and mentor children with special needs to play baseball. For the last four years, my buddy, Luke, and I have developed a strong bond while enjoying the game of baseball. From my experiences, I learned community service can be easily interwoven into your life. To me, the goal of my community service is not, for example, to cure autism or eliminate poverty, but

to learn from each other, enjoy fellowship, and provide encouragement to make someone’s day more pleasurable. I hope that someday my work as a computer scientist will help innovate and help change lives in the future.

Hannah Groenke
$1000 Award Recipient

I will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall, where I will be studying biomedical engineering. During high school, I was actively involved in the my community through the Graylake Central Food Drive, which collects and distributes over 50,000 pounds of food in the Grayslake and Hainesville areas, as well as with with various organizations in my church, such as PADS and the Mobile Food Pantry, and Feed My Starving Children. In the summers, I’ve participated in service trips to Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico, where I’ve worked with local residents on home improvement projects, repairing decks, painting homes and building wheelchair ramps. We do more than just rehab homes; we connect with residents and try to bring them a renewed sense of hope. At University of Michigan, I plan to volunteer within the local community, and as a biomedical engineer I want to design a ordable medical devices and techniques that will improve the quality of life of people across the globe.