Michigan Masters Awards Scholarship

Michigan Masters, under the leadership of Fred Nelis, Chairman of Michigan Masters, and Ralph Davis, Michigan Masters Vice-Chair, developed a program to promote and provide financial assistance to children of Masters swimmers in Michigan.  

Griffin Williams is this year’s recipient of the Michigan Masters Swimming Scholarship.  Griffin was co-captain of his Kalamazoo High School swim team, an Eagle Scout, and maintained a grade point average of 3.91.  He is attending Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.

The award is not restricted to swimmers but is intended to provide qualified swimmers financial assistance in attending a college or university.  The hope is that even if a scholarship is awarded to a non-swimmer, he or she might consider joining our organization in the future.

The grant offered by Michigan Masters is intended for either a private or public accredited college or university.  The goal is for the grant program to be $1,000 per student and to award one to two grants per year.  Eligibility requirements and an application process have been formulated and adopted. The Michigan Masters Swimming Endowment Committee selects the recipient.

This program became a reality in 2006 when Fred was elected Michigan Masters Chairman and made it a priority.  Revenue for this award has come from contributions by individual members when registering for USMS and from a $1000 donation from the Dutch Masters as a result of hosting a successful state meet held last year.  Monies are only available for those who have not received any other athletic scholarships.  The scholarship is renewable based on academic performance.

Monies are collected by the Michigan Masters Registrar, contributions acknowledged and reported for tax purposes by Michigan Masters, and paid directly to the institution the candidate will be attending.  

We congratulate Griffin for his accomplishments and Michigan Masters swimmers for their outreach and support of our youth!