By Kim Lux, Lawn & Landscape Magazine. View the original story here.

LEAF announces 14 recipients of their 2023 LandCare Scholarship awards. Each recipient is a child of a LandCare team member and a first-generation college student. These awards mark a year of significant applicant growth for LEAF and demonstrates LandCare’s commitment to team members’ families.

“We’re thrilled and so proud of the participation we saw in this year’s scholarship application process,” LEAF Program Director Jose Mondragon says. “To see the grants awarded grow nearly three times this year versus 2022 is exciting. We look forward to the continued expansion of our scholarship program with a goal of seeing higher education available to every child of our team members.”

The LandCare Scholarship Program awards up to $1,500 for community college students and $3,000 for students attending four-year university programs. Five of these awards were given in 2022, bringing the total awards granted to 19 in just one year. The 2023 recipients will be attending schools in Georgia, California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Florida.

Beyond just scholarships, LEAF offers continuing academic support for all students, including tutoring, academic counseling and financial aid counseling.

“Support for students doesn’t start or end with providing a scholarship,” CEO Mike Bogan says. “We know that the path to college begins at an early age and that there are additional obstacles for first-generation students. A scholarship is just one way for us to say, ‘We believe in you.’ LEAF champions students from pre-K through college so they always know they have a team working on their behalf.”

The scholarship program has also recently seen its first graduate: Cecilia Ibarra, a 2022 recipient, graduated from Arizona College of Nursing this year.

“Cecilia’s graduation is a milestone in her professional growth and for LEAF,” Mondragon says. “We’re thrilled to have played a small part in Cecilia’s academic career. Her graduation is a reminder of the exciting things yet to come for the next generation and the LandCare families that we’re supporting.”