Lake Forest Golf Outing Raises Funds For North Chicago High School Graduates
After two successful charity golf outings, which raised over $75,000 in scholarship funds for North Chicago High School grads, the Faith on the Fairway team is back in full swing preparing for another exciting outing.
On Saturday, September 23, Faith Lutheran Church of Lake Forest is again partnering with North Chicago School District 187 superintendent, Dr. John Price, to host the Faith on the Fairway golf outing at Foss Park Golf Course in North Chicago. The event will benefit the North Chicago Public Education Foundation (NCPEF), which strives to prepare and empower North Chicago graduates as they take their first steps toward securing career-oriented, family-sustaining jobs.
The outing will begin with a shotgun start at 8 AM, with golfer and sponsor check-in beginning at 7 AM. Following 18 holes of golf, participants are invited to a catered lunch and silent auction. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Thomas J. Egger, President and Professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
For more information, to register or donate online, please visit www.faithonthefairway.org.
ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP
Since becoming superintendent in July 2017, Dr. Price has recognized the pressing need to support students and their families beyond graduation. “While the school district is focused on pre-K through 12th grade, we realize and understand that for our students and families in North Chicago, this isn't enough. We need to be doing more to care for and support families.” This led to the creation of the NCPEF. “Our vision is to support students after they've graduated. Our dream is to completely fund every student's post-secondary dream.” The first step is focused on providing scholarships to fully support students as they attend the College of Lake County.
“Many of our students want to stay close to home,” shared Dr. Price. “They oftentimes live in multigenerational homes. They have responsibilities for elders and for littles. CLC is the first step for most of our students, so it made sense for us to start there.”
Wanting to meet their unique needs, the board worked with students to identify what barriers stood in the way to achieving their goals. As Dr. Price points out, the scholarship covers more than just tuition. “We also pay for counseling. Our senior counselor from the high school follows them for the two years. They have monthly meetings to keep our kids on track and be aware of when they hit bumps. We also give them a cash stipend. We give them $2300 per year for gas, food. Almost all our scholars are living at home. Almost all of them are responsible for helping their families with expenses, so we help them with their expenses as well. Free college isn't enough. Otherwise, they're working full-time, they're going to school full-time, and that's a recipe for difficulties.”
A recent graduate explained how the scholarship's cash stipend has helped her maintain her focus on school while helping her family with expenses. “Right now at home it's mainly me and my mother paying bills. My dad would help us, but he recently got injured. The scholarship has helped me a lot, giving me a sense of relief as not to worry about how I'm going to pay for my books or how I'm going to pay for something that would help me in my future career.”
The response to these efforts has been outstanding from across the community and across the region. Dr. Price is excited about the opportunity the golf outing provides. “[Faith on the Fairway] is more than a fundraiser; this has really become a real partnership and looking for ways to be supportive of the community.”
ABOUT FAITH ON THE FAIRWAY
Faith on the Fairway is an annual charity golf outing hosted by Faith Lutheran Church of Lake Forest to benefit the North Chicago Public Education Foundation (NCPEF). The NCPEF's Warhawk Lancer Futures Scholarship provides tuition, financial support, and counseling to North Chicago High School graduates who attend the College of Lake County.
Supporting NCPEF through Faith on the Fairway has added benefits for NCPEF. As a 501(c)(3) they must meet the “public support test”; so by giving through Faith on the Fairway, any gifts have the added benefit of helping NCPEF pass this accounting test, which gives NCPEF the opportunity to accept larger donations from other individuals than they could otherwise.