Bandits announce scholarship winners
The Quad Cities River Bandits awarded their two annual Bandit Scholarships at their game Sunday afternoon. River Bandits owner Dave Heller announced David Tra as the winner of the Bandit Scholarship for the University of Iowa, and Matthew Wieskamp as the winner of the Bandit Scholarship for Western Illinois University.
Tra, a Davenport native and Davenport West High School graduate, will attend the University of Iowa this fall. Wieskamp, a Muscatine, Iowa, native and Muscatine High School graduate, will attend Western Illinois University. Each scholarship ensures the student's first year of tuition will be covered at no expense to them or their families. The Bandit Scholarships are administered by the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend (CFGRB).
"Giving out these scholarships is the single most enjoyable thing I do as owner of the River Bandits, and I am so proud, on behalf of the team, and the Communtiy Foundation of the Great River Bend, to present these scholarships to a two recipients," said team owner Dave Heller. "David and Matthew have demonstrated incredible talent, hard work, dedication and a passion for community service, and I am confident they will be outstanding representatives of our Bandit Scholars Program and the Quad Cities in their immensely promising futures."
Tra hopes to pursue an engineering degree. He has begun taking college-level engineering classes and has been involved in Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam, National Honor Society, Youth Symphony Orchestra, High School Varsity Orchestra, Asian club, Leo club, ecology club, cross country, golf, tennis, and track, as well as working at Hy-Vee.
Wieskamp hopes to pursue a pre-physical therapy curriculum and biology degree, as well as a minor in business, to become a physical therapist. In high school, he has been involved with National Honor Society, baseball, basketball, football and track.
"It's an honor to be the recipient of the Bandit Scholarship," Wieskamp said. "This scholarship will help me to achieve my goal of becoming a physical therapist in the future. Thank you, and go Bandits!"
The Bandit Scholars Program was founded in 2009 by the Quad Cities River Bandits' team owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt. The program pays the entire first year of college tuition for two Quad Cities area students. Both winners also receive a summer internship with the Quad Cities River Bandits following their freshman year. , and recipients are selected by a committee made up of community leaders, River Bandits' ownership and staff and CFGRB volunteers.
The scholarships are funded by fan donations and fund-raising efforts by the River Bandits and the team's ownership. Fundraising events include the annual Bandits Race to Home 5K and River Bandits golf outing, set for July 27 this season. Through the partnership with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, donors can make online, tax-deductible donations to the Bandit Scholars Program by going to www.cfgrb.org. Fans can also visit the Bandit Scholars Program page on the team's website, www.riverbandits.com, and follow a link to the Bandit Scholars page on the Foundation's website.
Both scholarships are open to current high school (or home-schooled) seniors who reside in any of the following counties: Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside Counties on the Illinois side, and Cedar, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott Counties on the Iowa side.
UP NEXT: Voting ends at 10 p.m. Monday for the "Best of the Ballparks" Class-A final at BallparkDigest.com. If Modern Woodmen Park wins the contest, the River Bandits will offer free tickets at the ballpark box office on Wednesday, June 24, for the 7 p.m. home game Monday, June 29. Individual tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office and online at riverbandits.com. Ticket plans of 12 to 70 games - which include free parking, reserved seats, merchandise discounts, and guaranteed giveaways - are available by calling 563-324-3000.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: With the installation of the Ferris Wheel, the River Bandits ownership in 2014 made one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931, and this year the club is matching that effort by opening three new areas. A two-tiered special group deck immediately behind and overlooking the corn field opens next week. A new 11,000-square-foot concourse expansion down the third-base line will open in July. Finally, the club is expanding the children's play area by an additional 5,500 square feet down the right-field line. New rides will be announced upon completion of these new areas.