Nine Students Receive Scholarships from Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation

Brainerd, Minn. – The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation (BLACF), in conjunction with CommunityGiving, is pleased to announce that nine students from the region received academic scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year, totaling $14,000.

CommunityGiving administers 139 separate scholarship funds, several of which serve the Brainerd Lakes area and the surrounding area schools. These scholarships were established by individuals, families and businesses to support area students in their educational pursuits.

“The academic success of our area students is increasingly important to how we position ourselves as a regional leader. Scholarships not only provide financial support but also convey a message to the students from our donors that says ‘We support you. We want you to succeed.'” says Karl Samp, Executive Director of the BLACF.

Scholarship recipients for the 2022-2023 school year are:
Mitchell Freimark of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School received $1,500 from the Virginia M. Twetten Scholarship Fund.
Etta Danielson of Brainerd High School received $2,000 from the Cecelia E. Granos Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Ryan McCormick of Aitkin High School received $1,000 from the Garrison Area Scholarship Fund.
Melana Ryan of Aitkin High School received $1,000 from the Garrison Area Scholarship Fund.
Craig Visnovec of Aitkin High School received $1,000 from the Garrison Area Scholarship Fund.
Molly Saboo of Onamia High School received $4,000 from the General John and Avis Vessey Math, Science & Engineering Scholarship Fund.
Sadie Shippee of Onamia High School received $1,000 from the Dr. “Eddy” Silker Scholarship Fund.
Kendra Olchefske of Onamia High School received $1,000 from the Dr. “Eddy” Silker Scholarship Fund.
Malorie Knox of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School received $1,500 from the Ed Sauer Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation (BLACF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local Brainerd area. Since 1998, BLACF has grown to over $16.7 million in assets and awarded over $8.1 million in grants to nonprofits. The BLACF is governed by a local board of directors and is a partner of CommunityGiving, which is a collaborative of many community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers over 1,000 funds totaling nearly $195 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/Brainerd.