Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs and its Make It Better Foundation awarded four Wisconsin high school seniors with $14,000 in scholarships as part of its third annual Wisconsin Sports Awards Scholarship Contest.

Claire Monzel of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and Cannon Cooley of Waukesha, Wisconsin, each received the grand prize of a $5,000 scholarship, and Kaitlin Squier of Appleton, Wisconsin, and Alexander Van Dyke of Union Grove, Wisconsin, each received a $2,000 scholarship during the Wisconsin Sports Awards on May 7, 2015 at the Beacon in Kohler, Wisconsin. Finalists were able to walk the blue carpet and meet prominent athletes, including Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Sacramento Kings coach George Karl, as well as Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan, football coach Paul Chryst, and athletic director Barry Alvarez.

“The Wisconsin Sports Awards is a wonderful event and a great way to recognize these student athletes for all they’ve accomplished, both on and off the field,” says Justin McCoy, vice president of marketing at Cousins Subs and director on the Make It Better Foundation’s Board. “The event gives these students the opportunity to be proud of and celebrate their accomplishments before graduation.”

The Make It Better Foundation received more than 320 applications from Wisconsin high school senior athletes. The finalists were chosen due to their academic acumen, participation in community service and a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association–sanctioned sport, and their plans to pursue higher education.

“The students have such inspiring stories to tell and accomplishments to share,” McCoy says. “The hardest part of the scholarship contest is selecting only four finalists from the hundreds of well-qualified students.”

The scholarships are funded through Cousins Subs’ Make It Better Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization established by Cousins Subs in 2013. The Make It Better Foundation focuses on three areas vital to any community: health and wellness, hunger, and youth education.

“Cousins Subs has long placed a value on giving back to the communities in which it serves,” McCoy says. “The Wisconsin Sports Awards Scholarship Contest provides a fun and rewarding avenue in which to do this.”

Charitable Giving, News, Cousins Subs