Kiwanis Club of Carefree Awards $249,000 to Deserving High School Seniors

Published On: May 17, 2021

[May 12, 2021, Cave Creek, AZ]   On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, the Kiwanis Club of Carefree presented $249,000 in scholarships and merit awards to 23 deserving high school seniors.  The recognition ceremony was held at the Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center.  The students recognized represented four area high schools.

The Kiwanis awards are made possible through the collective efforts of volunteers and staff at the Kiwanis Marketplace in Cave Creek.  The dedication of these individuals at the Marketplace allows us to support children and students in our community.  Providing support to the children in our community would not be possible without the generous donations from the community to the Marketplace.

The Kiwanis President, Kimberly Marie Jack, introduced Pastor Mike Johnson, who offered the Invocation and timely words to the awardees. Dr. Cort Monroe, superintendent of the Cave Creek Unified School District, provided inspiring words to the students and those in attendance.

Janet Busbee, the scholarship chair, introduced committee members Scott Brown, Jack Mahay, Gene Orrico, MariaElena Rizzo, and Susan Uhl.  Committee member Ron Bell was unable to attend the ceremony.

The presentation of scholarship and merit awards included:

  • Art & Humanities Merit – Mia Milinovich and Allison Van Stone
  • Foreign Language Merit – Jessica Brashear, Keagan Neff, and Emily Watters
  • Math & Science Merit – Hannah Steward
  • Athletic Merit – Bennett Allan, Benjamin Stoutenburgh, and Ashley Strouse
  • 2-Year Scholarship- Kolten Sauber
  • 4-Year Scholarships awarded:
    • Jim Shaw Memorial Scholarship – Miah Thirion
    • Rockford Scholarship – Luke Hernandez

Landen Argabright, Christopher Fletcher, Alexandria Koklys, Isabella Koklys, Anya Lang, Sage Lewis, Ethan Mock, Gianna Palanzo, Nicole Quenzler, Mia Sabbara, and Mackenzie Zoerb

The Kiwanis President-Elect, Joyce Jordan, provided the closing remarks.

Hospitality Committee Members who assisted at the event were:  Gene Orrico, Arron Vasquez, Remi Pettus, Jackie Perry-Brown, Robin Crane-Cochran, Joyce Jordan, and Alexis Popovich.

About the Kiwanis Club of Carefree

“Serving the children of the world” is the shared mission of the Kiwanis Club of Carefree, a 501 (c) (3) service organization, and Kiwanis International. Locally we demonstrate our passion for helping children recognize and develop their full potential by giving scholarship and merit awards, sponsoring Key Club, “Bringing Up Grades” (BUGs), summer art programs, and mentoring to establish a thriving and supportive community in the Desert Foothills area.