The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program Kicks Off for Fourth Consecutive Year

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Foot Locker Foundation, Inc. announces today that it will be awarding $20,000 college scholarships to 20 outstanding student athletes (totaling $400,000) through The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program for the fourth consecutive year. The program honors students who demonstrate academic excellence and exemplify strong leadership skills in sports, at school, and within their communities.

High school students today are incredibly driven, socially conscious, and well-rounded individuals who embrace leadership roles in all areas of their lives. Seventy-two percent of high school students want to start a business someday[1] and are already using their leadership spirit to take on inspiring projects such as organizing their school's first volleyball team or starting a tutoring club for underserved students.

Generation Z students are poised to be role models for academic excellence. Sixty-four percent consider earning an advanced degree as one of their life goals[2], which paces them to be the most educated generation in history.  They don't accept the title "leaders of tomorrow," because their activism proves that they are already the change agents of today. An estimated two in five 19 to 29 year-olds engage with social issues online[3], and in a 2013 report by The Corporation for National and Community Service, 14 million Millennials did volunteer work equating to 1.4 billion hours of service[4].

"We understand the tremendous potential of these young leaders, many of whom may not have the financial means to attend college, which is why we are investing in their futures," states Ken C. Hicks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Foot Locker, Inc. "The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program recognizes well-rounded student athletes who excel academically, embody sportsmanship, and will undoubtedly use the leadership skills they've gained through sports to make a positive impact in the world."

This year's 20 winners will join the program's three previous classes of Foot Locker Scholar Athletes, which will result in 80 total scholarship recipients over the four years since the program's inception in 2011, receiving scholarships totaling $1.6 million.

Applicants must be college-bound in the Fall of 2015, participate in a sports related activity, and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.  Participants will be required to submit two essays and one recommendation.  Students can apply online or be nominated by teachers, coaches, mentors, family and friends by visiting footlockerscholarathletes.com. Applications close December 18, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). 

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

About Foot Locker Foundation, Inc.:

Foot Locker Foundation, Inc. is the charitable arm of Foot Locker, Inc., a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 3,500 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.

About Fastweb:

Fastweb, a top site in the Monster Worldwide (NYSE:MWW) network, 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 http://www.fastweb.com and follow on Twitter at @PayingForSchool.

[1] Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/generation-z-spending-habits-2014-6)
[2] Time (http://time.com/6693/coming-soon-to-your-office-gen-z/)
[3] TBWA Worldwide (http://www.tbwa.com/the-future-of-social-activism)
[4] The Corporation for National and Community Service (http://www.nationalservice.gov/impact-our-nation/research-and-reports/volunteering-america)

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SOURCE Foot Locker Foundation, Inc.