Sports
Glenview Student Receives Full Ride To College Through Caddying
The Glenview-based Evans Scholars Foundation is covering housing and tuition for 74 Chicagoland high school seniors.
GLENVIEW, IL — Seventy-four students from Chicagoland have been awarded scholarships that will fully pay for housing and tuition through the Western Golf Association's Chick Evans Scholarship program, including Lissette Garcia, of Glenview. The sponsoring club for Garcia, who attends Glenbrook South High School, is Evanston Golf Club.
The WGA, headquartered in Glenview, has been awarding area students who serve as caddies scholarship money since 1930 as part of the Evans Scholar Foundation. It is the largest scholarship program for caddies in the country, according to a news release.
According to officials, four main selection criteria are used to determine which candidates will receive the scholarships — a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character. The scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over the four years of college.
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The 74 students chosen, who will begin college in the fall, are the first recipients of the award for the year, with more selections slated for the spring. Officials said an estimated 340 caddies will receive the Evans Scholarship.
Funding for the scholarships mostly come from an estimated 36,000 supporters across the country, who are members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program. Alumni donate more than $15 million annually. In addition, proceeds from the BMW Championship, the penultimate PGA Tour playoff event in the FedExCup competition, are donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation.
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"We are thrilled to welcome these student caddies to what will be an exceptional class of new Scholars from across the nation," said Joe Desch, Western Golf Association chairman. "Their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in their communities represents what our Program has been about since 1930."
WGA said a record 1,130 caddies are currently enrolled at 24 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars, and more than 12,040 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles "Chick" Evans Jr. To learn more, visit www.wgaesf.org.
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