Bags tourney nets $2,500 for scholarships

The second annual Bags for Wags Tournament raised $2,500 to fund scholarships for college-bound student leaders from Elmhurst.

The tournament honors the memory of Brian Edwin Wagner, a student athlete and community leader who attended Visitation grade school and junior high and York High School. He died in an alcohol-related car crash preceeding his junior year of high school.

Twenty teams took part in the Brian E. Wagner Scholarship Fund tournament in Visitation Parish’s Valentino Center Gymnasium, where photographs of Brian are displayed, along with his trophies and basketball and football jerseys.

Barbara Wagner-Lackey, Brian’s mother and drector of the scholarship fund, welcomed participants and opened the evening with a prayer. Attendees included Brian’s family, friends and classmates, who reunited to show support for the cause.

The inaugural recipients of $2,500 college scholarships will be announced at the organization’s next fundraiser. The Brian E. Wagner Scholarship Golf Outing, pig roast dinner and silent auction will be Friday, May 11, at the Bloomingdale Golf Club.

Scholarship fund organizers encourage outstanding students who have served as leaders in the community to apply for next year’s award. Through the application process, students will have the opportunity to describe how they have made a positive impact in their own lives and the lives of others.

Applicants must:

Ÿ have graduated from eighth grade from a school in Elmhurst or be enrolled in a high school in Elmhurst;

Ÿ have participated in at least three extracurricular activities while in high school;

Ÿ must submit two letters of recommendation from a teacher, coach, boss or community leader; and

Ÿ must have fulfilled 25 hours of volunteer service with an organization that supports a cause they’d like to commit and contribute to.

Applications will be accepted Dec. 31 to Jan. 31. More information can be found online at www.BrianEWagnerFund.org.