The Prospectors are upping their game.
The Leelanau Prospectors Club will be doling out $16,000 in scholarships to eight recipients — one more than the last few years.
“As an organization, we have a lot of fun at monthly meetings in restaurants around the county, but we’re probably best known in recent years for giving out scholarships,” said Chet Janik, who chairs the scholarship committee. “We work through a group of retired Leelanau County educators who interview high school seniors and have the final say in determining recipients.”
Scholarship winners must reside in Leelanau County. Each will receive $2,000.
The educators will decide the fate of four scholarships offered to high school seniors, who can attend schools not in Leelanau County such as Traverse City West and St. Francis. Applications are available through high school counselors or by contacting Janik at (231) 633-7680 or [email protected].
Four more scholarships are offered — two to students attending the Northwest Education Services Career Tech Center or similar trade school, and two to adults seeking to further their learning or take up a new career through college-level classes. Applicants will need to compile a letter explaining their goals and financial needs. Career Tech students may contact principal Pat Lamb for further information. Adult applicants may contact Janik or Alan Campbell at (231) 492-4972. Applications or letters are due by April 11. Scholarship checks will be presented at the Prospectors Club dinner meeting on May 29 at the VI Grill in Suttons Bay.
The families of Glen Noonan and Sally Guzowski as well as Lee and Carol Bowen have contributed to the growth of the program.
Added Janik, “Prospector Club members care deeply about the county. Our scholarship program is a way to give back to the Leelanau community as well as prepare for a bright future.”
The Leelanau County Prospectors Club was begun shortly after World War II ended by a group of community leaders who met monthly at restaurants around the county to improve the local economy.
