Major Leaguers Award $40,000 in College Scholarships to Reward Youth Community Involvement
Spotlight shines on Action Team® student leaders during National Volunteer Month
NEW YORK, April 15, 2015 /3BL Media/ - Major League baseball players will award $2,000 college scholarships to 20 outstanding high school students in recognition of their dedication to community service and tireless efforts to encourage others to get involved with causes they believe in, the Major League Baseball Players Trust announced today. Each scholarship recipient is a member of the Action Team® national youth volunteer program created and administered by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America.
Scholarship awards are based on the volunteer efforts, academic achievements and leadership skills of high school students serving as Action Team Captains — those students responsible for planning and organizing Action Team-related volunteer activities and encouraging their peers to get involved. This school year, Major Leaguers and more than 500 Action Team Captains in 100 high schools across the country are working together to inspire and train the next generation of volunteers.
Since its launch in 2003, Action Teams of high school students and Major Leaguers have inspired more than 73,000 students to serve over 229,000 people in need. There are Action Teams in 33 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and Japan, and each month the Action Team Captains participate in a conference call hosted by legendary broadcaster George Grande that features a Major Leaguer and an “Action Team High School of the Month.”
Action Team Captains receive free posters, T-shirts and brochures to help support their efforts. They are also invited to attend Action Team training sessions at the beginning of the school year and in recognition of their efforts and accomplishments they receive free tickets to Major League baseball games and certificates of achievement signed by Major Leaguers near the end of the school year.
Action Team applications and additional information, including upcoming events, can be received by sending a request to ActionTeam@mlbpa.org or by visiting our website at www.ActionTeam.org
Action Team Captains receiving scholarships from the Major League Baseball Players Trust are:
| Name | Location | School |
| Ryan Blay | Broomfield, CO | Jefferson Academy |
| Nora Burns | York, ME | York High School |
| Sasank Chaganty | Woodland Hills, CA | El Camino Real Charter High School |
| Khushali Dave | Denver, CO | D'Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School |
| Emma Draper | Alexandria, VA | St. Stephens/St. Agnes High School |
| Alexander Duke | Brunswick, OH | Brunswick High School |
| Summer Emery | Saco, ME | Thornton Academy |
| Margaret Gorman* | Arlington, VA | H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program |
| Lindsey Hall | Saco, ME | Thornton Academy |
| Emily Harris | Saco, ME | Thornton Academy |
| Jonathan Ibanez* | Wailuku, HI | St. Anthony Jr./Sr. High School |
| Gabrielle Jarmoszko | Palmetto, FL | Manatee School for the Arts |
| Grace Kresge | West Deptford, NJ | West Deptford High School |
| Micah Leval* | Wailuku, HI | St. Anthony Jr./Sr. High School |
| Katherine Senechal | Saco, ME | Thornton Academy |
| Blake Sperling | Woodland Hills, CA | El Camino Real Charter High School |
| Nhu Truong | Bergenfield, NJ | Bergenfield High School |
| Olivia Van Dyke | Pittsburgh, PA | Fox Chapel Area High School |
| Ryker Wakeley | Snohomish, WA | Glacier Peak High School |
| Yusuke Yamagami | Wailuku, HI | St. Anthony Jr./Sr. High School |
*Denotes two-time scholarship winner
Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities. In partnership with Volunteers of America, the national human service organization, the Players Trust created and helps administer the Action Team, a national youth volunteer initiative currently inspiring the next generation of volunteers in cities throughout the United States. For more information on the Major League Baseball Players Trust, please visit www.PlayersTrust.org.
Follow the Players Trust on Twitter and Instagram: @MLBPlayersTrust
Follow the Action Team on Twitter and Instagram: @_ActionTeam
