PGA, Whirlpool award $50,000 to LMC to fund the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship
Two deserving students from Lake Michigan College’s Start-to-Finish program will be awarded $25,000 each ($50,000 total) in scholarship funds as part of the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program. The funds were donated during a special presentation on Friday, May 27 at the 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship being played at Harbor Shores, the course designed by Jack Nicklaus. The PGA of America and Whirlpool Corporation created the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program back in 2018 to honor the commitment and legacy of one of golf’s greatest icons.
The funds are given to one member of the Benton Harbor community who has graduated with an associate degree from the Lake Michigan College Start-to-Finish Program and has plans to continue their college education.
“Anyone who is familiar with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus knows that their lives and legacy are deeply rooted in giving back to others,” said Jim Richerson, President of the PGA of America. “It is a true honor to be able to give back to our youth through the gift of education in the spirit of a couple who has meant so much to the sport of golf as a whole.”
Champions for Change was created to inspire recipients to create their own golden opportunities through education, and embodies the values that Nicklaus has stood for his entire life: winning with integrity and giving back to others.
“We are grateful to Jack and Barbara Nicklaus for using the game of golf to make a positive impact on the lives of youth in our community,” said Pam Klyn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations & Sustainability, Whirlpool Corporation. “Continuing this scholarship in their name is a great source of pride for Southwest Michigan, and allows the collective efforts of those involved in the Championship to improve lives at home.”
Recipients may use the scholarship funds to pursue a bachelor's degree or to further advance a technical degree. Lake Michigan College will select two deserving students ahead of the Fall semester based on a rigorous application process.
“When our Start-to Finish students first come to us it's because they are usually struggling both financially and academically,” Lake Michigan College Start-to-Finish Director Charmae Sanders said. “They may have the drive and desire to want to succeed but they haven't always been given the opportunity and the tools needed to succeed. That's what makes the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship so special. It rewards students for how much they've overcome and provides that opportunity to strive for even more.”
Despite the fact that the 2020 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship was canceled due to the pandemic, the Championship still donated $50,000 in scholarship money to the College at that time.
For more information about the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, visit SrPGA.com. To learn more about Lake Michigan College, visit lakemichigancollege.edu.
About the Start-to-Finish program
Designed to help current and former foster care and Benton Harbor students achieve academic success, Start-to-Finish was created in response to Benton Harbor Promise, a scholarship fund that provides full tuition to any accredited community college or career technical school in Michigan. Start-to-Finish is an academic support program at Lake Michigan College that offers Benton Harbor Promise Zone students one-on-one life coaching, learning and computer labs, tutoring services, success planning, academic advising and intervention, referrals to internships or job opportunities, and more.
