Fun for a good cause.
That’s the goal of the 6th Annual Faith on the Fairway charity golf outing on Sept. 12. The benefit, which is co-sponsored by Faith Lutheran Church in Lake Forest and the North Chicago Public Education Foundation, provides full-tuition scholarships to the College of Lake County for high school graduates from the City of North Chicago.
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First, the fun part. Registration of $160 for an individual golfer; $525 for a foursome ($130 and $500 for students and school staff) includes 18 holes of golf at Foss Park Golf Course in North Chicago, a hole-in-one contest with a chance of winning $10,000, a reception and lunch with an awards banquet, and a goodie bag.
“There’s prizes you can compete for,” added Pastor Jim Buckman of Faith Lutheran Church. “Closest to the pin, longest drive. And we’re going to have an LPGA member, that’s the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association, with a challenge fundraiser for the scholarship program.”
And now the cause.
“We hold the fundraiser to help make it possible for high school graduates from the City of North Chicago to go to the community College of Lake County,” Buckman said.
The reason Buckman uses a golf outing as the event is because, “before I went to the seminary, I was a marketing manager for Hale Irwin, the professional golfer.”
Last year, around $55,000 was raised at the event.
Because of this program, there are currently 32 students with full-time scholarships at the College of Lake County. “Grainger came on board, and they are picking up the entire third year for any students who need a third year to matriculate,” Buckman reported.
Recipients of those scholarships are chosen by the North Chicago School District 187 from the Warhawk Lancer Futures Scholarship Fund.
Mary Kenney is the Director of Student Success for the scholarship program.
Scholarship recipients are chosen through an application process, Kenney reported.
“The senior class is given information throughout the year about the scholarship program,” she said. “In March, they complete an application that is reviewed by the North Chicago Public Education Foundation Board, and they determine who will receive the scholarship.”
Those receiving the scholarship are now given three years of fully funded tuition at the College of Lake County.
In addition to the funding, the students receive additional support. “Students have support from me as a counselor to help with any academic or personal barriers that they might run into,” Kenney said. “Students also receive laptop computers, career counseling support, and mental health support.”
Students can pursue any course of study they desire, which could be a two-year degree or a transfer degree.
“We also don’t require our students to stay in a program,” Kenney noted. “If they have started in a program and they realize this is not for me, they’re able to make that shift.” They encourage the students to make that decision quickly so they aren’t spending time and money on courses that they don’t need. “However, if it’s a path that’s not for them, we don’t want them to continue in that path,” Kenney said.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.