Light Foundation names 2022 Darke County Scholarship recipients
GREENVILLE – The Light Foundation presented four scholarships for its Darke County Scholarships Friday morning at Chenoweth Trails.
Making the presentation was Greenville High School alum, three-time New England Patriots Super Bowl Champion and Light Foundation co-founder, Matt Light, along with his wife and co-founder, Susie Light.
“It’s such a departure from what a lot of our summer consists of but it’s also a neat way for us to get involved with kids that are making a really important decision, taking that step to go on to a different environment, in some cases very intimidating,” said Light, “but we get to see some of their progress over the years.”
Some of the scholarship areas considered were academic achievement, community service, job responsibility, and the content of their answers on the application.
The 2022 recipients are Jenna Hughes, Greenville High School; Jorie McDermott, ArcanumHigh School; Kaylee Braun, Versailles High School; and Harrison Plessinger, Greenville High School. Each student received $1,000 to further their education.
Matt Light notes the importance of investing in the local community and its young residents. “These students show tremendous potential. We anticipate a very bright future for them and as an organization with a mission to enhance leadership skills in young people, it is our duty to support them and help them get to the next level.”
The non-profit has made contributions equaling $60,000 over the years to help young people in Darke County reach the next step in their education journey. Applications for the annual scholarship open in January on the Light Foundation’s website, mattlight72.com.
The Light Foundation (mattlight72.com) was established in 2001 by three-time Super Bowl Champion and three-time Pro-Bowler Matt Light, and his wife, Susie. The Light Foundation strives to instill and augment the values of responsibility, accountability, and hard work by providing youth with unique outdoor learning experiences that assist them in reaching their highest potential.
Its goal is to lead young people down a path to becoming responsible members of their communities who can pass on the torch of leadership and achievement to their friends and families.
“What I like the most is while it’s not something that we invest a ton of time into like some of our other programs where we get to see kids over and over again, every now and then we’ll bump into one of our scholarship recipients or they’ll come back to town for an event or something,” Light noted. “It’s nice to hear what they are up to and how they are doing.”
Light was drafted in 2001 out of Purdue University and was the anchor for the Patriots offensive line for more than a decade, before retiring in 2012. He received the third New England Patriots Ron Burton Community Service Award in 2005, and in 2008, was presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award for his outstanding work in the community by the Bush administration.
In 2012, Light was named Pop Warner’s Humanitarian of the Year, in 2014, was honored with All Sports United’s Humanitarian Award, and in 2015 received the Man of the Year award from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s New England chapter. In 2018, Light was named to the Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, and in 2019, was also named to the publication’s “Power 50” lineup. Matt Light was also inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 2018.
“We have been doing this for a long time and we look forward to continuing this,” said Light. “It is something the board is committed to and gives us a little look into what kids are doing in their next steps.”
Since its inception in 2001, the Light Foundation has raised more than $7 million for various programs and initiatives.
