10 Students Receive Scholarships from Lisle Area Chamber

One by one nine high school seniors stepped forward to talk about their plans for college and their future. They were the stars of the Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon as each student received their $500 scholarship as parents and Chamber members watched and cheered. The 2013 recipients are: Haley Belina, Rachel Birkley, Sheila Connelly, Joshua Haseltine, Thomas Mandel, Autumn Stoddard, Abby Tarasewicz, Christine Young, and Ashleigh Zurek. Elizabeth Sullivan was the tenth awardee but she was unable to attend the luncheon and received her scholarship later.

“The annual scholarship luncheon is for the students and their parents,” said Tom Althoff, CEO/President of the Lisle Area Chamber. “We are happy to receive so many applications each year, although it is challenging for our Scholarship Committee to select the recipients. They are all such bright young people with a great future ahead of them.” Molex, Inc. sponsored the students' luncheon.

The Wheaton Park District followed with a presentation about the Sensory Garden Playground. According to Mike Benard, Wheaton Park District and Sandy Gbur, Western DuPage Special Recreation Association this will be the first of its kind in the western suburbs. The Sensory Garden Playground will be designed to provide accessible leisure, educational and therapeutic opportunities for children and veterans. It will offer a safe, fun environment for families who have children with autism, sensory integration disorder or other disabilities.