Nine receive scholarships from Big 30 Athletic Fund
By: Tyler Veno | Bradford Era | July 31, 2024
OLEAN, N.Y. - Nine local students recently received Big 30 scholarships, managed by the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
Established by the Big 30 Athletic Fund Committee, the Big 30 Athletic Fund at CRCF supports the organization's effort to provide scholarship funding to deserving student athletes in the region served by the Big 30, including Allegany and Cattaraugus counties as well as areas of northwestern Pennsylvania.
Elk County Catholic's Colby Nussbaum, Katelyn Rhinehart of Otto-Eldred, Keelin Finn of Ellicottville and Noah Shenk of Franklinville received awards from the Big 30 Athletic Fund, each for $1,000.
The Big 30 Athletic Fund makes possible awards for four students graduating in the Big 30 region who have participated in at least two sports for all four years of high school.
Nussbaum plans to attend the Pennsylvania College of Technology to study mechatronics technology. Rhinehart will study childhood education at St. Bonaventure University. Finn will attend Gannon University to study biology. Shenk plans to study adolescent education at Jamestown Community College.
Alexa Schneider of St. Marys Area High School, Portville's Jacqueline Scanlon, Friendship's Nevaeh Ross, Allegany-Limestone's Sean Conroy and Sofia Bentley of Franklinville received the Big 30 Senior Classic Scholarship for $400 each. The Big 30 Senior Classic Scholarship, made possible by the Big 30 Athletic Fund, is for graduating seniors chosen to participate in the Big 30 Senior Classic basketball game, which is held annually at Portville Central School for Big 30 basketball senior standouts.
Students must also submit an essay on what basketball means to them to the Big 30 Athletic Fund Committee.
Schneider plans to attend Penn West Clarion to study early childhood education. Scanlon will attend Edinboro University to study communication and science disorders. Ross will study criminology at LeMoyne University. Conroy plans to attend the University of South Carolina to study finance. Bentley will attend Niagara County Community College to study liberal arts and sciences.
Donations can be made to any of these funds at CRCF, 301 N. Union St., Suite 203, or online at cattfoundation.org. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, healthcare, the arts, community development, human service and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email foundation at cattfoundation.org, or visit cattfoundation.org.
