Kiwanis of Sanibel-Captiva Announces Scholarship For Local Students

The Kiwanis Club of Sanibel Captiva has announced the recipients of its annual Scholarship Awards for the upcoming 2022-23 academic year, marking the 16^th year of the program.  Scholarship winners and their guests were hosted at a recent Kiwanis breakfast meeting. This year a total of $52,000 was awarded to 23 students who will be enrolled in 18 different colleges and universities.

Since the Club’s founding in the early 70s, Kiwanis has been devoted to supporting the development of local young people, with educational support among its top priorities.  The Scholarship Program was established in its current form 16 years ago, and since then has provided $568,000 in financial support to deserving youth. To be eligible students must have a connection to the Sanibel or Captiva communities, which means they must be residents or have parents who work on the Islands.

The criteria used for selecting students for awards include each past academic performance, community service involvement, and financial means.  Kiwanians Bill Traum and Chris Heidrick, who oversee the program for the Club, receive applications in the spring and submit them for review and scoring by a board of independent educators located off-Island and not affiliated with the Club.

Funds to underwrite the Scholarship Program are raised by the Club through Kiwanis fundraising activities throughout the year, including the Spaghetti Dinner in February, “Diners Delight” 2 for 1 Coupon Book sales in the summer and fall,  The “King Of The Rock” Golf Tournament in April, plus donations from Club members and other private individuals.  Said Club President Joel Goodman: “Kiwanis is strongly committed to its mission of serving local young people, and one of the most important ways to do that is to help them achieve their educational goals.”

This year’s award recipients are:  Repeat Multi-year Scholarships:  Daisy Arensman, Arabella Arado Lilleslatten, Jake Mann,  Aisha Smaller, and Kiandre Smaller;  New Multi-year Scholarships: Riley Mann, Samantha Strickland, and Amy Walker; One-year Scholarships: Brooke Adams, McKenna Adams, Maria Angelino, Alayna Aracri, Ben Arensman, Carson Brown, Adriana DiMarino, Riley Evans, Sage Holaway, Elizabeth Meardon, Savanna Nippa, Malia Pak, Kylie M. Sutton, Caroline Tesoro, and Daniel Trier.

Among the awards this year, some scholarships carried a special designation to honor donors and in memory of past Kiwanis members.  Daisy Arensman received the Joan Kearny Scholarship and Savanna Nippa received the “In Memory Of Loved Ones” Scholarship.  Aisha Smaller received the Carl Dietz Memorial Award; Riley Mann received the Peter Cola Memorial Award; Samantha Strickland received the Barry Gordon Memorial Award; Amy Walker received the Tom Jones Memorial Award, and Arabella Arado Lilleslatten received the Wally Kane Memorial Award.  Finally, two awardees received Sam and Frances Bailey Island Night Memorial Scholarships:  Maria Angelino for achievement in Athletics; and Caroline Tesoro for achievement in Community Service.

The Kiwanis Club congratulates all of this year’s recipients and wishes them success in the coming year.