Nine area high school seniors and their parents were the guests of honor on Monday at a luncheon held at Macaluso’s at The Lantern in Nesquehoning, where they were recognized as the 2024 winners of Bo Tkach Scholarships from the Bo Tkach Under the Helmet and Hat Foundation.
Each of the scholarship winners, who will receive $1,500 each, were selected by the faculties of their respective schools, which include the six Carbon County high schools, as well as Northern Lehigh, Northwestern Lehigh and Marian Catholic high schools. Since the foundation started the program, it has presented $125,750 in scholarships of memory of the late Bo Tkach.
In its criteria presented to the faculties, the foundation asks the selected award winners “represent the ideals of school spirit, community mindedness and concern and kindness for others, traits that exemplified Bo.”
The late son of Jim and Sandy Tkach, former area residents, tragically lost his life in 2007, after which time the foundation was established in his memory. Its primary mission is to raise awareness of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Mental Health issues and provide funding to treatment of those illnesses; to fund various youth programs for the betterment of children in the community; and to provide scholarship awards to deserving students who possess the ideals that Bo possessed.
In the aftermath of COVID, the foundation has also been a steady contributor to area food banks.
Foundation members Jim Snell and Abbie Guardiani serve as co-chairs of the scholarship program. They, the Tkachs, and foundation members greeted the 2024 scholarship winners and their parents on Monday.
The scholarship winners include: Carbon Career and Technical Institute, Gracie Heintzelman; Jim Thorpe Area High School, Noah Rosahac; Lehighton Area High School, Koy Wentz; Marian Catholic High School, Mason Mattrazzo; Northern Lehigh High School, Bailey Smith; Northwestern Lehigh High School, Daniel Jenkins; Palmerton Area High School, Trace Stahler; Panther Valley High School, Brad Lee Jones; and Weatherly Area High School, Reina Whalen.