Two Tampa-St. Petersburg-Area Youth Awarded Kohl’s Cares Scholarships for Volunteerism

The Kohl’s Department Stores’ (NYSE: KSS) Kohl’s Cares® Scholarship Program honors nearly 200 deserving volunteers with $1,000 scholarships toward higher education. Two children from the Tampa-St. Petersburg-area were chosen from more than 35,000 nominees nationwide for making a positive impact in their local communities. Through the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, Kohl's is encouraging promising youth to further their education at a time when college costs continue to rise and parents are relying heavily on federal and private student loans to fund higher education.*

Local recipients of $1,000 scholarships are:

·         Zachary Bonner, 15, Riverview – Dedicated to raising awareness and support for homeless youth, Zachary spent more than 1,000 hours last year participating in speaking engagements and assembling more than 1,900 backpacks - filled with either school supplies or basic food and hygiene supplies - that he distributed to homeless youth across the country.

·         N’Jhari Jackson, 10, Tampa – In 2012, through his project Pajama Buddy Voyage, in 2012 N'Jhari delivered more than 600 “Pajama Buddy Drab Bags,” filled with new books, iPods, headphones, comic books, writing utensils, stuffed animals and hand-held electronic games, to children in area hospitals.

Winners are chosen based on initiative, leadership, generosity and project benefits and outcome. Each regional-level winner qualifies for one of Kohl’s 10 national scholarships, which will be announced at the end of July. National winners will each receive a total of $10,000 in scholarships and Kohl’s will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on each national winner’s behalf. In total, Kohl’s will recognize more than 2,300 young volunteers with more than $400,000 in scholarships and prizes.

In 2013, Kohl’s celebrates its 13th year of rewarding young volunteers. Since the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program began in 2001, Kohl’s has recognized more than 19,000 kids, including the 2013 winners, with more than $3.9 million in scholarships and prizes.

The Kohl’s Caresâ Scholarship Program is part of Kohl’s Caresâ, Kohl’s philanthropic program focused on improving the lives of children. For more information on the Kohl’s Caresâ Scholarship Program visit kohlskids.com.

*Reuters. “As college costs rise in U.S., parents fall short of saving goals.” Heather Struck. 2013.