July 29, 2013

Supporting some across the globe...update from one of our Poland Scholarship recipients

In 2009 I started bachelor’s studies and I received scholarship from your foundation first time. It was a huge distinction for me which motivated and still motivates me to hard work. This journey happily came to the end but I have started the new one (master’s studies) and once again had a pleasure to be one of your scholars. It is amazing feeling for me to be awarded your scholarship and for this I would like to thank you.

You inspired me to broaden my knowledge and to develop my skills. During the bachelor studies I tried to study hard and take first steps on my career path. My efforts were awarded and I was granted rector’s scholarship and gained professional experience in IBM and Colgate-Palmolive. I was also invited by Bank of America Merrill Lynch to participate in its Spring Insight Program in London. It was a huge accomplishment for me since I was the only participant from Polish universities.

 On master studies I am pursuing special course preparing for obtaining ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification. Two weeks ago I have also started an internship in Royal Bank of Scotland. I hope that both the course and the training will enrich my knowledge and skills and help my finding an interesting job in the future.

Your scholarship also inspired me to help others. It was an incentive for me to contribute to the community and to work as a volunteer. Thanks to you I become a math tutor in a primary school and help students with math and Polish. I trust that is this way I can contribute to building a better society.

Words cannot describe fully my gratitude for people like you but I hope that my work make you proud. Thank you for giving me inspiration.

Kind regards, Renata Bruzdziak

July 5, 2013

"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.

June 25, 2013

2013 Scholarship Recipients!

Phew, what a year so far!  We couldn't be happier with the recipients who recently received scholarships through Brian's Foundation. 

Out of the 37 scholarships we have awarded so far this year, 84% have plans to continue their education in a field where they can truly make a difference in their community or country.

They are our future.  They give us hope.

Each and everyone of them are a bright spot in the lives of others. We thank them in advance for continuing to make a difference in people's lives around them. 
  
2013 recipients so far, shown in bold.  (in order of presentation date)

Joel Gentz Scholarship: Benjamin Petry, United States Air Force

Sal Giunta Scholarship: Brandon Skaggs, Criminal Justice 

General George S. Patton Scholarship: Adela Tanzerova, Special Education

Matt Atkinson Community Scholarship: Kayla Skaletski, Social Work

Joe Welke Scholarship: Katianne Rath, Health Care

Ron Sager Scholarship:  Karen Arndt, Fire Protection 

Victoria Parmentier Scholarship: Alexis Dejardin, Elementary Education

Rachel Bosveld Scholarship:  Megan Moore, Pre-Med  

Kyle Hemauer Scholarship: Joshua Geiser, Criminal Justice 

Jerome Hatfield Scholarship: Hunter Guill, Pre-Med 

Andrew Brownfield Scholarship:  Bhim Sutar, Nursing

Isaiah Hunt Scholarship:  Aliece Kerscher, Nursing

Danny Dietz Scholarship: Rachel Lukowicz, Secondary Education

Robert Foley Scholarship: Larraine Saavedra, United States Army

Len Keller Scholarship: Martin Jimenez, Criminal Justice 

Brian LaViolette Scholarship: Lukas Butte, Pre-Med

Ryan Jerabek Scholarship: Emily Smithback, Secondary Education

Ben Edinger Scholarship: Melissa Shefchek, Nursing

John Bradley Scholarship: Christian J. Filipiak, Physician's Assistant 

James Cathey Scholarship:  Brent Bremer, United States Army

Brent Vroman Scholarship: Danielle Beck, Criminal Justice

Jesse Thiry Scholarship:  Grace Kanzenbach, Law Enforcement

Ken Hess Scholarship:  Nicole Madel, Pre-Med

Ollie Bogsted Scholarship: Hope Buhrandt, General Studies

"The Journey is the Reward" Scholarship: Danielle Fisher, General Studies

NWTC Scholarship-Suring High School: tba

Ken Kubsch Scholarship: Katherine Wolowicz, Education

Eric McColley Scholarship: Jason Altman, Aerospace Technology and ROTC

Nichole Frye Scholarship: Megan Roue, Criminal Justice 

Above and Beyond Scholarship: Logan Shallow, Pre-Med


Esther Cleveland Safford Scholarship: Savannah Libassi, Music Education

Robert Safford Scholarship: Brett Samuelson, Business Administration

"The Journey is the Reward" Scholarship (2): Caroline Heyka, Psychology and Scott VanHulle, Engineering

NWTC Scholarship-Oconto: Alexis Ermis, Healthcare 

Mike Colalillo Scholarship: Christopher Stolan, United States Air Force

Menasha Scholarship: Ashely Burrows, Criminal Justice

South Africa ScholarshipBrian Ntshikila, Teaching  

Tom Hudner: To be awarded in July

Nainoa Hoe Scholarship: To be awarded in August

Poland Scholarships (6): To be awarded in September

St. Norbert Scholarships (4): To be awarded in October 


Junior Achievement-Awarded during Business Challenge to Brenda Adamski in February

May 31, 2013

Tickets on sale NOW for 11.12.13!




You won't want to miss our next event, which will be on November 12, 2013 at the beautiful Meyer Theatre in downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Click here for more information and to purchase your tickets.  They are reserved seats, so get them soon to reserve the best spot for you!

May 28, 2013

Pilsen Experience-in the words of Mark Leland

If you need a shot in the arm of patriotism, or an extra dose of pride for our American veterans, you might need to head out of the country to Pilsen in the Czech Republic. That's where I went in early May 2013 to document the European city's Liberation Festival honoring our World War II soldiers, who helped give the people of Pilsen their freedom in 1945.

Every person I met during the four-day festival was filled with gratitude for our American veterans. And not just the people who were around in '45, but the message has been passed down through the generations. These guys are heroes. This city really knows how to give thanks, and they remain thankful to this day to our U.S. soldiers. Keep in mind Communist control took over in 1948 and would last just over 40 years, but the people of Pilsen never forgot the service and sacrifice of our WWII veterans.

So in 1990 the annual Liberation Festival got started and is still going strong today. There is even a permanent "Thank you America" monument in the city where an American flag always flies.

I was amazed and impressed with the love shown by the people of Pilsen. And talking to our veterans, they are humbled every time they return to the festival--and many have made the trip back year after year because of the people. Imagine ten thousand or more people lining city streets for a parade featuring our World War II veterans riding in World War II Jeeps. It is a true sign of patriotism, of honor, of respect for our American veterans--and it's coming from another country.


I know we celebrate our veterans on Veteran's Day, the 4th of July and other occasions, but I've never witnessed a celebration like the one Pilsen put on. Bob Nueske, a veteran, businessman and someone I'd like to a call a friend, discovered this out of the way Liberation Festival several years ago. Bob invited me to go to Pilsen and paid for the news crew to travel to Pilsen, because he wanted others to discover what is happening over there.

He also helps to fund the General George S.Patton Scholarship of Honor from the Brian LaViolette Foundation in Pilsen started last year. It's a way to give back to the next generation in Pilsen, and the city is so appreciative that the awarding of the scholarship has become a part of the celebration. I can tell you how moving the festival is and you might get some idea of what I'm talking about.

Hopefully our news stories will better show you what you're missing. So I hope you'll check out the "Return to Pilsen" stories on fox11online.com, and then pack your bags and head to Pilsen--the celebration is always in early May.