Foot Locker Foundation and DoSomething.org Kick Off Second Year of The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Foot Locker Foundation and DoSomething.org have teamed up for the second consecutive year to offer 20 college scholarships (totaling $400,000) to 20 outstanding student athletes. The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program awards students who demonstrate academic excellence and exemplify strong leadership skills both in sports and within their communities.

"We are very pleased to anniversary this important scholarship program to recognize and celebrate talented and deserving scholar athletes and provide them with an opportunity to further their education," said Ken C. Hicks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Foot Locker, Inc. "It is rewarding to know that the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program can positively impact students who may not have the opportunity to attend college otherwise." 

Scholarships have increasingly become a critical source of funds for future college students and their families. According to the College Board, 53% of all full-time undergraduate college students attend private four-year colleges that charge, on average, $27,293 per year in tuition and fees. Additionally, athletic scholarships can also be challenging to secure. In fact, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, approximately only 1% to 2% of undergraduate students in Bachelor's degree programs receive athletic scholarships.

"Like scoring the game-winning point, the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program seeks to be a game changer in the land of scholarships," said April Wright, Campaigns Manager at DoSomething.org. "We are excited to be running this scholarship program for the second year with Foot Locker and can't wait to help 20 more winners as they pursue their college dreams."

This year's 20 winners will join the program's inaugural class of 20 Foot Locker Scholar Athletes, which will total 40 scholarship recipients in its second year.

Applicants must be college-bound in the Fall of 2013, participate in a sport and maintain a 3.0 GPA.  Participants will be required to submit two essays and one recommendation. All applications will be reviewed by a panel of scholarship experts and celebrity judges. Students can apply online or be nominated by teachers, coaches, mentors, family and friends by visiting www.dosomething.org/footlocker. Applications close December 19, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). 

The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program is a part of the Foot Locker Foundation, Inc., which provides monetary support for educational and sports programs across the country. Supporting this all-star partnership is Fastweb, a trusted scholarship and financial aid resource used by students to help find opportunities to pay for school.

About Foot Locker:

Foot Locker is part of Foot Locker, Inc., a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 3,350 stores in 23 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.  Over the years, Foot Locker, Inc. has developed meaningful partnerships and programs to improve and enrich the educational opportunities for children across the country. Through its Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channel Footlocker.com/Eastbay/CCS, the Company is a leading global retailer of athletically inspired shoes and apparel.  For more information, visit www.footlocker.com.

About DoSomething.org:

We love teens. They are creative, active, wired...and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn't require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change. Join us at www.DoSomething.org.

About Fastweb:

Fastweb is the nation's recognized leader in helping students pay for school, by providing scholarship and financial aid information, as well as information on jobs and internships. One out of three college-bound seniors use the site, and more than 50 million users have benefitted from Fastweb's information and services. Fastweb lets students create personalized profile that can be matched against its expansive databases of colleges and scholarships. As the oldest and most popular free online scholarship matching service, the database has more than 1.5 million scholarships totaling over $3.4 billion. To learn more about Fastweb, visit www.fastweb.com and follow on Twitter at @PayingForSchool.

SOURCE DoSomething.org