Five Gwinnett Students Get Burger King Scholarships

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- Five Gwinnett County students are receiving $1,000 scholarships from one of the nation's largest Burger King franchisees.

The Burger King McLamore Foundation scholarship, from GPS Hospitality, is funded by $1 donations made by Burger King patrons during spring and fall fundraisers.

This year, the fundraisers generated $89,000, enough to award scholarships to 89 students nationwide.

The 2016 Burger King Scholars from Gwinnett County include:

• Kendall Harris, Dacula High School
• Ileri-Oluwa Jaiyeoba, Duluth High School
• Jason Quill, Grayson High School
• Andrew Pettit, Mountain View High School
• Eliza Antonowich, Norcross High School

"Recognizing hard work and excellence is a cornerstone of the GPS Hospitality philosophy," Tom Garrett, CEO of GPS Hospitality, said in a news release. "The McLamore Foundation offers a way for each of our restaurants and their guests to raise funds that give back to their communities, and I’m so impressed with the teams that continue to support their local neighborhoods."

The 2016 recipients were selected based on their grade point average, extracurricular activities, community service and work experience.

"We are committed to supporting hard-working, dedicated students in our communities through the Burger King Scholars program," said Amanda Israel, executive director of the BURGER KING McLamore Foundation. "Each year, we are increasingly impressed by the number and caliber of applications, and it motivates us to work harder to grant more scholarships than the year before."

The scholarship was created to honor the legacy of Burger King brand co-founder, James W. McLamore.

Since it started in 2000, the foundation has awarded more than 26,800 scholarships to high school seniors, Burger King employees, their spouses and domestic partners and children across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

For more information on the program, including instructions for 2017 scholarship applications, visit www.bkmclamorefoundation.org.

(Photo via Burger King McLamore Foundation)