Local Karate Club Students Win Scholarship Awards at Banquet

Image 1: Erica Simmerman, a Wheaton resident, was awarded a travel scholarship. She trains in Naperville, Hickory Hills and Hoffman Estates. Image 2: Gurnee resident Ryan Brown, who trains at the Palatine dojo, was awarded the Jennifer Malloy Scholarship.

Nearly $60,000 in scholarships were awarded at the annual Illinois Shotokan Booster Club Karate Awards Banquet on November 12, 2017 at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows. The event is now in its 39th year, and awards scholarships to Illinois Shotokan Karate Clubs (ISKC) students that take ISKC karate classes at 75 park districts across the Chicagoland area, and demonstrate commitment, achievement and volunteerism.

Scholarship recipients included Wheaton residents Erica Simmerman and Ryan Simmerman; Glen Ellyn resident Jacqueline Wilkinson; Carol Stream residents C.J. Pagan and Caitlyn Pagan; Lombard residents Bill Bastian and Alexandra Battaglia; St. Charles residents Caleb Sitarz, Gavin Sitarz, and Logan Turney; and Linus Jens, Tobias Jens, Christina Romano and Angelina Romano who all reside in Geneva.

The scholarship recipients train at one or more of the following park district locations that offer ISKC classes: Batavia, Geneva, Glen Ellyn, Hickory Hills, Hoffman Estates, Lombard, Mount Prospect, Naperville, Palatine, Schaumburg, St. Charles and Wheaton.

A scholarship that is awarded at the event, and is near and dear to ISKC founder John DiPasquale’s heart, is the Jennifer Malloy Scholarship. Jennifer was a student at the Palatine dojo when she was just a teenager in the mid-1980’s and had been diagnosed with cancer. Though her health continued to deteriorate through treatments, Jennifer did not stop training or competing. The scholarship was created before she passed away in 1987 to help her family afford mounting legal bills.

For the last 30 years, an ISKC student who has demonstrated the highest level of leadership and determination is awarded the Jennifer Malloy Scholarship. This year’s winner was Ryan Brown, a Gurnee resident who trains at the Palatine location.

In all, there were 103 academic and travel scholarships awarded to students that help ISKC students afford college, as well as the cost to attend and compete in national and international karate competitions. The booster club is the nonprofit arm of ISKC that hosts yearly fundraisers to support the scholarships awarded at the event.

“Our banquet is very special for everyone who is a part of ISKC; we are steeped in the tradition of giving back to our students and families who have helped us to grow throughout our 39-year history,” DiPasquale, said. “Our booster club works extremely hard each year to ensure we can provide this very important assistance to our students.”

A full list of the winners from the North/Northwest, South/Southwest, and Western Suburbs and Chicago can be found here: www.iskc.com/blog/.

For more information about ISKC and to learn more upcoming classes that start in January, visit www.ISKC.com or call 847-359-0666.

ABOUT ILLINOIS SHOTOKAN KARATE CLUBS

Founded in 1978, Illinois Shotokan Karate Club is headquartered in Palatine, Illinois and has grown to serve 75 park districts throughout the Chicagoland area. The club offers weekly classes for children and adults taught by knowledgeable instructors, as well as opportunities to compete in tournaments. In addition to four local tournaments hosted by ISKC each year, the club also offers the opportunity for students to compete in national, and international tournaments. ISKC is known for their quality competitors and high-level coaching.