RICHMOND — Twenty-nine high-school seniors and two Ph.D. students in the turfgrass research program at Virginia Tech were among 31 scholars honored as the VSGA-VIP Scholarship Foundation announced its 2019 award recipients today at Richmond Country Club as part of its VSGA Day festivities.
The Foundation provides grants and gifts for scholarships,
scientific and educational research, and other charitable purposes. This year’s
grants total $88,000 and since being launched, the program has distributed nearly
$2.4 million to 1,023 students. Funding for scholarships is generated primarily
from the sale of the VSGA VIP Golf Card.
“Being able to positively impact the
educational pursuits of more than 1,000 students is extremely gratifying,” said
Michael Millen, president of the VSGA VIP Scholarship Foundation. “The
Foundation has come a long way since 1985 when $4,000 was awarded to our first
three students. Many generous VSGA member clubs have supported this initiative
for a long time along with thousands of loyal VIP cardholders from throughout
the Commonwealth. We are truly grateful for their support.”
Virginia high school students with an interest
in golf (ability not important) are eligible to apply. Students are evaluated based on academic
achievement, character, community involvement and an essay on the impact of
golf on the applicant’s life.
“This year’s class may be our strongest yet,”
Millen said. “I think six of our award recipients were ranked #1 in their class
and several will be playing golf collegiately next year.”
2019 grants include Spencer-Wilkinson awards,
which draw from a fund formed by Debbie Spencer and Mary Nell Wilkinson. Since
its formation more than 20 years ago, 53 young women have received
Spencer-Wilkinson scholarships. This
year’s awards went to high school teammates from the Maggie Walker Governor’s
School — Lisa Qin of Glen Allen and Virginia Adams of Henrico.
Other named scholarships include the 19th C. Dan Keffer Award, which goes to an individual in honor of the former VSGA-VIP Scholarship Foundation Committee Chairman. This year’s recipient was Vienna’s Aaron Liu. The Red Speigle Award, named in honor of the late longtime teaching professional from the Peninsula area, was given to Norfolk’s Rebecca DiNunzio. The David A. King Award, which the senior amateur golfer established in 2002, went to Leslie Lytle of Alexandria. The Richard Smith Award, given in remembrance of the VSGA’s longtime director of championships and supporter of junior golf, went to Jimmy Taylor of Alexandria.
To view the full press release, which includes details on each individual recipient, please click here.