Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program Launches to Award $20,000 to Twenty of Nation's Most Inspiring Young Athletes and Leaders for Eighth Consecutive Year

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As young people are leading the way as change-makers across the country, the Foot Locker Foundation is proud to recognize accomplished, driven students through its Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program. For the eighth consecutive year, Foot Locker Foundation, the charitable arm of Foot Locker, Inc., will award $20,000 college scholarships to 20 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, Danielle Geathers, as an example:

A member of the Miami Herald All-Dade Girls Soccer First Team, Danielle was the captain of both her club and school teams. With a 3.9 GPA, Danielle's dedication to soccer was matched only by her academic achievements, as she was the president of National Science Honor Society, an AP Scholar with distinction, a National Society of High School Scholars member, a recipient of the Brown University Book Award, and founder of her school's Black Student Union. Danielle also wrote curriculum for and taught an educational math and science class at the NFL Youth Education Town Center in Gwen Cherry Park while promoting STEM with the young people in her community.

"Danielle represents thousands of today's youth who are educated, thoughtful, and passionate leaders capable of changing the world," states Richard A. Johnson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Foot Locker, Inc. "We are committed to empowering these exceptional individuals with opportunities, such as the Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program, to build their capabilities and enable their continued success."

As students across the nation are showing increasing leadership both on and off the field, the benefits of participating in athletics have proven to have a clear correlation with success later in life¹ For Foot Locker's Scholar Athletes, aspirations for success can become a 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 (in honor of former Chairman and CEO), 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 seven previous classes of Foot Locker Scholar Athletes, bringing the total number of scholarship recipients to 160 over the eight years since the program's inception in 2011. As of 2018, the Foot Locker Foundation will have invested nearly $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 December 14, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). Applicants must be college-bound in the fall of 2019, 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, the Foot Locker Foundation is the charitable arm of Foot Locker, Inc., a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 3,270 stores in 25 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia 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; Instagram, 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.

¹ "The Benefits of Playing Sports Aren't Just Physical!", US Department of Health and Human Services; https://health.gov/paguidelines/blog/post/The-Benefits-of-Playing-Sports-Arent-Just-Physical!.aspx

SOURCE Foot Locker Foundation, Inc.