NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Getting into college isn't just about great academics and a strong personal essay, cost is a major factor for students as college tuition is rising steadily. The average student will spend over $100,000 on a four-year college education (compared to spending less than half of that in 2000ⁱ).

To help ease this burden, The Foot Locker Foundation, the charitable arm of Foot Locker, Inc., is proud to recognize community-minded scholar athletes in pursuit of a college education. The Foot Locker Foundation is excited to announce the launch of its 2019-2020 Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program, which will award $20,000 college scholarships to outstanding student athletes who demonstrate strong academic ability and leadership skills in sports, school, and within their communities.

With its investment in the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program, the Foot Locker Foundation is committed to facilitating the success of tomorrow's leaders. Take one of last year's winners, Ahalya Lettenberger, as an example:

A source of positivity and inspiration in everything she does, Ahalya Lettenberger has not let failure or challenges stop her from reaching her goals. Being wheelchair-bound for most of her life, sports became a lifesaver, an outlet for her to pursue her dreams despite her disability. Ahalya is a member of the U.S. Paralympic Swimming National Team and is training to qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She won Silver and Bronze medals in various Pan Pacific Championship races in 2017 and 2018 and has her eyes on the Gold medal in 2020. Ahalya travels the country speaking about her disability and inspiring other young people with disabilities to recognize opportunities where they can achieve their dreams. Not only is she an inspiration to other young people, Ahalya is also a dedicated scholar, a National Merit Finalist, a member of National Honor Society, is on the executive board of student council, all while maintaining a 5.0 GPA, and earning a 35 on the ACT. She has applied herself to her rigorous studies and hopes to become a biomedical engineer to develop technologies to help people with disabilities, like herself, in the future.

"We are honored to recognize exceptional students like Ahalya each year, who not only persevere through challenging times, but are also making a significant impact as young leaders in their communities," states Richard A. Johnson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Foot Locker, Inc. "The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program is providing a platform for these young leaders to celebrate their diversity and be heard while ensuring they have the opportunities to fulfill their dreams and succeed in life."

For Foot Locker's Scholar Athletes, aspirations for success can become reality. In addition to each student receiving a $20,000 scholarship, one of the 20 students selected will be awarded the Ken. C. Hicks Scholarship and receive an additional $5,000 for demonstrating superior academic achievement, outstanding leadership, and a true love of the game. This year's winners will join the program's eight previous classes of Foot Locker Scholar Athletes, bringing the total number of scholarship recipients to 180 over the almost nine years since the program's inception in 2011. As of 2019, Foot Locker, Inc. will have invested more than $3 million towards the education and future of some of America's most promising scholar athletes.

The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program is a key initiative of the Foot Locker Foundation, which provides support for educational and sports programs across the country. This program seeks to empower young adults who successfully take the skills they have cultivated in their team locker rooms and apply them to their classrooms and communities. This all-star program is also supported by Fastweb, a trusted scholarship and financial aid resource used by students to help find opportunities to pay for school.

Students can apply online or be nominated by teachers, coaches, mentors, family and friends by visiting footlockerscholarathletes.com. The program is managed by DoSomething Strategic, the consulting group of DoSomething.org, grounded in over 25 years of data on mobilizing young people worldwide.

Applications close on January 3, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). Applicants must be college-bound in the fall of 2020, be an active participant in a sports-related activity and maintain at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA. Participants will be required to submit two essays and one recommendation to be considered for the scholarship.

About Foot Locker Foundation:
Founded in 2001, Foot Locker Foundation is the charitable arm of Foot Locker, Inc., a leading global athletic specialty retailer with a purpose of inspiring and empowering youth culture. The company operates 3,175 stores in 27countries in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and New Zealand. Since its inception, the Foundation has developed significant partnerships, programs, and initiatives to improve and enrich communities across the country. Our mission is to promote a better world for today's youth by creating, developing, and supporting innovative educational programs and encouraging health and well-being through physical activity.

About Fastweb:
Fastweb, a top site in the Monster network, is the nation's recognized leader in helping students pay for school by providing information on scholarships and financial aid, as well as jobs and internships. As the oldest and most popular free online scholarship matching service, more than 50 million users have benefitted from Fastweb's information and services. Students create personalized profiles to match opportunities in the expansive databases of colleges and scholarships. To learn more about Fastweb, visit www.fastweb.com and follow Fastweb on Twitter (at @PayingForSchool); Facebook; Pinterest; Google+.

About DoSomething Strategic:
DoSomething Strategic (formerly TMI Strategy) is a consulting group that helps clients drive social change through insights and creative solutions backed by data. Fueled by DoSomething.org's proprietary data from millions of young people involved in hundreds of cause initiatives, DoSomething Strategic uncovers what motivates young people to connect with companies and causes they care about. For more information, visit DoSomethingStrategic.org.

ⁱ National Center of Education Statistics, 2019

SOURCE Foot Locker Foundation, Inc.