Overcoming Adversity... the Riley Garbe Scholarship

The Riley Garbe Scholarship is awarded to young men and women who have overcome adversity in their lives and are now on a mission to give back to others. Due to such great candidates, we decided to select two recipients this year.

The first recipient, Tayah Conrad, has an incredible story of bravery, perseverance, hope, and compassion. She grew through adversity and is using her experience as an inspiration to become a NICU nurse, helping babies and caring for their families as they navigate a difficult journey.

The second recipient, Jack Vosters, is a young man who made lemonade out of lemons. After suffering an injury that sidelined him from the sports he loves, he found new ways to contribute to his teams. Instead of giving up or being bitter, he became a leader and a supporter of his teammates. He saw his unfortunate situation as an opportunity to experience sports from a different perspective, and now he has the goal of becoming a coach and touching many lives through sports.

They are pictured here with Riley Garbe during the scholarship awards night. This scholarship is made possible by the late Bill Welter.

Surprise!

Once a year, we try to be as discreet as possible, entering a school with a large check, while trying not to be seen from the windows. Then we hide until the time is right. There are lots of behind-the-scene laughs and anticipation.

This year the surprise took place at Green Bay Preble High School when Halle Dessart received the $10,000 Brian LaViolette Scholarship. 

Halle will be attending UW-Eau Claire next fall to pursue a degree in education and teach in the middle or high school setting. During her interview, she mentioned she wants to instill in her students the mindset that "they don't have to do something but they get to do something." In every day life, that is sometimes hard to remember, but it can be really powerful when you are able to shift your focus.

The process is always a heartwarming one and we can't thank Eric and Leah of the Greater Green Bay Chamber enough for being with us each step of the way.

Halle is pictured here with Eric Vanden Heuvel (left) and Renee and Doug LaViolette.

17 schools in the Partners in Education district nominates one student to apply. From there, five finalists are selected and interviewed. 

The decision is never an easy one, but the entire process makes us so hopeful for the future. There is no doubt there are some amazing young men and women ready to make a difference in the world.