Kohl’s awards six area youths scholarships for community service
Written by John Starkey
The Kohl’s Department Stores’ Kohl’s Cares® Scholarship Program honors more than 200 deserving volunteers with $1,000 scholarships toward post-secondary education. Six children from the Dallas-Fort Worth area were chosen from more than 35,000 nominees nationwide for making a positive impact in their local communities. Through the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, Kohl's is encouraging promising youth to further their education at a time when college costs have risen approximately seven percent per year for decades.*
“Kohl’s is honored to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the more than 200 regional level Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program winners this year,” said Julie Gardner, Kohl’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “From collecting books for underprivileged children to fundraising for a community food bank, the efforts of these kids are undoubtedly making our communities better places to live and it is a pleasure to recognize and thank them for their work.”
Local recipients of $1,000 scholarships are:
Monica Orozco, 8, Irving – With a passion for reading and helping others, Monica raised enough money to purchase more than 2,350 new and gently used books which she gifted to every student at her elementary school over the holiday season.
Matthew Ricks, 17, Grand Prairie – Matthew is an active member of Disaster Care Ministry for a local church and was instrumental in delivering more than 500 buckets filled with cleaning supplies to victims of floods and tornadoes and has traveled to Louisiana to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Zoe Albert, 17, Allen – Zoe started Faux Paws, a nonprofit that makes, advertises and sells faux fur flip flops and has donated more than $17,000 in proceeds to animal advocacy groups.
Allison Lewis, 10, Garland – After discovering there was only one wheelchair-accessible local park, Allison, a child with special needs, went to the city council to present the issue and helped persuade her local government to allocate approximately $500,000 to make the local parks accessible to those with physical disabilities.
Alyse Kirkpatrick, 7, Burleson – Alyse founded Pageant Queens Gone Green to educate others on the importance of keeping the environment clean and exemplifies this through her personal recycling and cleanup efforts. Alyse is also involved with Cooks Children’s Hospital and was instrumental in collecting items to fill more than 300 Easter baskets for children at the hospital.
Victoria Pimentel, 15, Southlake – Victoria started Operation Sweet 16 to support service members and has raised approximately $13,000 by organizing various fundraising events including a dog parade and shopping event.
Winners are chosen based on initiative, leadership, generosity and project benefits and outcomes. Each regional-level winner qualifies for one of Kohl’s 10 national scholarships, which will be announced at the end of July. National winners will each receive a total of $10,000 in scholarships and Kohl’s will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on each national winner’s behalf. In total, Kohl’s will recognize more than 2,200 young volunteers with more than $420,000 in scholarships and prizes.
In 2012, Kohl’s celebrates its 12th year of rewarding young volunteers. Since the program began in 2001, Kohl’s has recognized more than 17,000 kids, including the 2012 winners, with nearly $3.5 million in scholarships and prizes.
Source: Kohl’s Department Stores
