"What does this Scholarship mean to you?"

“As I was sitting, waiting to hear my name called all I could think is if there was one award I wanted to win. This scholarship is honor to hold. Brian sounds like a remarkable man, who is inspiring to many, including me, to go far in life. I am so thankful to be able to uphold his name and my complete respect goes to you and your family. Thank you for the chance to follow Brian’s words and continue my journey.”

--Caroline Heyka, 2013 Journey is the Reward Scholarship, OHS

"I was thrilled to learn of my selection for this honor! I am deeply appreciative of your support. Thank you for your generous, financial assistance towards my higher education. I was deeply touched by the words of wisdom that are inscribed on the back of the Scholarship of Honor medal. I will proudly display it with honor. I want to make a difference. Thanks for your confidence in me; you reaffirm that my dreams are possible. I am one step closer to my goal because of you. You have made a huge difference in my life.” 

--Ashely Burrows, 2013 Elmer Burr and Ken Stumpf Scholarship of Honor recipient

 “I would like to thank you and the other members of the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation for the James Cathey Scholarship of Honor. As I have also chosen to join the military after high school, Lieutenant Cathey is an inspiration to me. He is a true role model for more, so I am honored to receive this prestigious award. This scholarship will be very helpful for my fees at West Point, so I cannot thank you enough for this scholarship. I wish you all the best of luck in the years to come."

--Brent Bremer, 2013 James Cathey Scholarship of Honor recipient

"The scholarship evening went very well. Jordon is such a quality young man. He was SO honored and excited to receive this award. I think you can tell that by his big smile in the photo. It was a pleasure to present to him. As you can see, he’s wearing the medal proudly. Thank you for this opportunity."

 --Kate Bradley, daughter of John Bradley.  There is a Scholarship of Honor paying tribute to her dad.

 “This scholarship means a lot to me because it recognizes my passion for helping others. I want to serve my community through medical means and with this scholarship I will be better able to.”

 --Katianne Rath, 2013 Joe Welke Scholarship of Honor at Appleton West High School

 “Receiving this award means a lot to me. Joel is a person I really look up to and admire. I hope that the decisions I have made this past semester would have made him proud.”

--Benjamin Petry, 2013 Joel Gentz Scholarship of Honor recipient

“As I sat in the audience, watching and listening to the story about Ken Hess and how the scholarship came about, I was touched by the story and awe struck by the courage of one particular soldier. As the master sergeant began speaking about the recipient, never did I once consider that he was talking about me. Receiving the scholarship was an incredible honor.

The money will be a big help for school next year and the medal is a reminder of the incredible bravery and dedication that the men and women serving have to our country. I will continue to volunteer, knowing that it will never be as courageous as our soldiers, but hoping that whatever difference I can make in the community a meaningful one. “

 --Nicole Madle, 2013 Ken Hess Scholarship of Honor

“I was very happy and appreciative to learn that I was selected as the recipient of your scholarship. By awarding me the Robert C. Safford Scholarship, you have lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus on the most important aspect of school-learning.  Your generosity has inspired me to continue to help others and give back to the community.  I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me.”

--Brett Samuelson, 2013 Robert C. Safford Scholarship recipient

“This scholarship is very meaningful.  It is going towards good use to pay for college, which will include purchasing my uniform for the fire program.  I already put some of it to use in paying for my state Firefighter 1 exam.  I passed the practical exam and will find out if I passed the written test in a couple weeks.  I am very thankful that I was chosen for this award and scholarship.  Especially knowing I went to the same high school as Ron. “

--Karen Arndt, 2013 Ron Sager Scholarship of Honor. 

 “This scholarship will allow me to pursue my dreams of teaching secondary education, and to always serve my community further. It is an extraordinary honor to receive this noble scholarship in honor of an incredibly respectable young man Danny Dietz. It is so cliché, but honestly this scholarship means the world to me and I cannot thank the Foundation enough for believing in me and allowing me to follow my dreams.”

 --Rachel Lukowicz, 2013 Danny Dietz Scholarship of Honor recipient

I feel truly honored to be the 2013 recipient of the Matt Atkinson Community Scholarship of Honor. It will not only help to provide tuition assistance, but also encourage me to keep doing the right thing in my school and throughout my community. Thank you!

--Kayla Skaletsia, 2013 Matt Atkinson Community Scholarship of Honor

 “I cannot thank you enough for the honor and privilege of receiving the General Foley Award of Honor. This award would not have been possible with your support through Brian’s Foundation. Thank you for reaching out to USMA and for giving me the privilege of meeting General and Mrs. Foley. General Foley’s wisdom and leadership is an example to me and many others. I hope to keep in touch and help your foundation in any way possible.”

 --Lorraine Saavedra, General Foley Scholarship of Honor recipient, 2013

 “This scholarship means more to me than the money. Brent was a part of my own family and is still my role model and is very close to my heart. I am very honored to hold an award like this in memory of him.” 

--Danielle Beck, 2013 Brent Vroman Scholarship of Honor recipient

 “I would like to thank you for providing support to a scholarship I received, the Ryan Jerabek Scholarship of Honor. I was very honored to receive such a prestigious scholarship. Thank you for everything you do for many people around the world.

Your constant dedication to help others is inspiring to me. I hope that my future career of being a high school math teacher will be as helpful to others as your foundation has been to many. I plan on attaining my goal by attending the University of Wisconsin Madison. We are blessed to have people like who care about American and still push American values. Once again thank you for all that you do for our country and thank you for your support to the Ryan Jerabek Scholarship of Honor. My family and I are very grateful to you.”

 -Emily Smithback, Ryan Jerabek Scholarship of Honor recipient

To see more testimonials from this year and in years past, please click here.