Seven Students Receive Chamber of Commerce Scholarships

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The Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce presented six of seven scholarships during the General Membership Luncheon held at Suparossa on May 19. Guest speaker Shefali Trivedi, Environmental Projects Specialist at DuPage County, presented “Recycling Makes Good Cents” to help local businesses find ways to recycle that are practicable and affordable.

Lisle Chamber board members Susan Ross, Morton Arboretum and scholarship chair; Dan Garvy, Lisle Park District and Chairman of the Chamber; and Jim Renn, President of Lisle Savings Bank, presented six students with well-deserved scholarship checks. Parents watched as their sons and daughters stepped forward to accept the $500 checks. The seventh scholarship was present to Steve Keefe for his son Matthew Keefe, who wasn’t able to attend the luncheon.

“It is always a challenge for our Scholarship Committee to select the students for the $500 scholarships,” said Tom Althoff, CEO/President of the Lisle Chamber. “The applications are submitted by local high school seniors who are earning good grades in school, participating in extracurricular activities and volunteering for community service.”

The scholarships are funded by corporate donations, member contributions and the Chamber’s participation in Lisle’s Eyes to the Skies Festival. Applicants must reside in Lisle or have an immediate family member who works for a Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce business, and plans to attend a vocational school, business college or a two- or four-year college or university.

Trivedi spoke about how recycling everyday makes an impact on the future.

“I keep a recycling bin next to my desk to help remind me to recycle everything I can,” she said. Trivedi was hired in January 2010 to oversee DuPage County’s Commercial Recycling Program which is funded as a part of the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act in 2009. Prior to this, she was the Marketing Director of an Environmental Education non-profit organization. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Village of Schaumburg’s Environmental Committee, an appointed group for the past three years.