Following a whirlwind drive-by tour of dramatic enhancements in and around the Harbor Shores Resort community in Benton Harbor this afternoon, golf’s greatest champion and Harbor Shores Golf Club designer Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara made a triumphant return to his signature tract along the shores of the Paw Paw River and Lake Michigan to assist in the revelation of an exciting new college scholarship program being created in their honor.
Even as the field was in the process of being narrowed to the top 76 golfers just yards away at the 2018 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus were joined in the Media Center’s interview room with Whirlpool Chairman Jeff Fettig and PGA of America President Paul Levy for a little reminiscing, a brief Q&A with reporters, and then the major new announcement of the new Jack & Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program.
On the eve of their visit to Southwest Michigan’s golf mecca, the PGA of America and Whirlpool Corporation proudly honored the commitment and legacy of golf’s greatest icon through the creation of the new scholarship.
The Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program is designed to inspire recipients to create their own golden opportunities through education. It embodies the values that Jack Nicklaus has stood for his entire life: Winning with integrity and giving back to others.
Whirlpool Chairman Jeff Fettig said at the session, “Thanks to Jack’s artful restoration of the waterfront and wetlands, as well as he and Barbara’s dedication to improving the lives and futures of area children, Harbor Shores will be a positive contributor to the local community for decades to come.” He added, “The Nicklaus family has made an incredible impact on the Benton Harbor area, and we are thrilled to create this scholarship in Jack and Barbara Nicklaus’ name.”
PGA President Paul Levy added, “Jack and Barbara Nicklaus are among a select few in the world of sports whose lives are predicated on giving back to others.” Levy says, “The PGA of America is extremely excited to partner with Whirlpool Corporation and golf’s premier couple to help fulfill the dreams of young leaders of tomorrow from Benton Harbor. We believe the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program will be the catalyst for building a legacy by which we all may be proud.”
An annual scholarship of $25,000 will be granted each year through 2024 to one member of the Benton Harbor community who has graduated with an Associate’s Degree from the Lake Michigan Community College “Start to Finish Program” and seeks to continue his or her college education. Recipients may use the new scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree or to further advance a technical degree.
In response, the Hall of Famer told the group, “Barbara and I are honored to have our name on a scholarship that benefits kids from the Benton Harbor area.” He noted, “It’s a little different scholarship in that you go through a junior college first before you get there, so you know that the kids that are going to get it are very studious kids that would like to receive a higher education. We’re looking forward to doing that and we thank [PGA of America and Whirlpool] for the honor.”
The scholarship announcement was made today at the news conference during the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores and immediately afterward, Nicklaus took the mic at a brief outdoor session with dozens of surprise Championship volunteers in the garden area of the Volunteer Village outside of Whirlpool’s Paw Paw Tech facility, the former LMC M-Tec Center on Klock Road in Benton Harbor. Nicklaus thanked the veritable army of volunteers for their dedication to making the Championship a success, adding that the event could never even be hosted without the work of those dedicate volunteers.
For more information about the 79th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, visit SrPGA.com or call 1-800-PGA-GOLF (800-742-4653).
The Lake Michigan Community College Start to Finish Program is a highly successful initiative that continues to thrive as a student support program targeting Benton Harbor Promise Zone students. Start to Finish provides mentorship, coaching, academic advising, career counseling, supplemental education and transportation services for each student. Since offering Start to Finish in 2012, course completion, GPA, class attendance and graduation rates have increased significantly.
