Nine area high school seniors were honored on Tuesday by the Bo Tkach Under the Helmet and Hat Foundation, each receiving $2,000 scholarships in memory of the late Northern Lehigh High School student-athlete.
The students and their parents were the guests of honor at a luncheon held at Macaluso’s at the Lantern, Nesquehoning, where their attributes were shared with foundation members and guests.
Honored were: Carbon Career and Technical Institute: Samantha Mourey, daughter of Nancy Derr and Scott Mouery; Jim Thorpe: Justin Yescavage, son of Elizabeth Yescavage and Joseph Yescavage; Lehighton: Deven Armbruster, son of Joyce Zehner and Richard Armbruster; Marian: Tyler Berlanda, grandson of Joyce Hvizda and Richard Hvizda; Northern Lehigh: Brody Rothrock, son of Amelia Rothrock and Scott Rothrock; Northwestern Lehigh: Rylee Grace McGinley, daughter of Lori McGinley and Shawn McGinley; Palmerton: Derek King, son of Mary Jo King and Gregory King; Panther Valley: Marlena Smith, daughter of Nicole Smith and Thomas Smith; and Weatherly: Conner McAuley, son of Llewelyn Houser.
Jim Tkach, who with his wife, Sandi, are the parents of the late Bo, attended the event, joining foundation members in congratulating the honorees. Jim Tkach, chairman of the foundation board, spoke to the students and their parents of the establishment of the foundation following the 2007 death of Bo due to suicide after a short lifetime of battling depression and an obsessive compulsive disorder.
“Out of that came a positive movement where my wife and I were joined by foundation board members in perpetuating Bo’s memory, but also being able to provide counseling services to youths who otherwise would not have the resources to get that help, and also providing scholarships to students who possessed the traits Bo had,” Jim said.
He told the students of stories he and Sandi learned about their late son’s continuous desire to help others. One, in particular, happened when he was a student at Wilkes College, where Bo “picked a homeless man off the ground in the cold of winter and gave the city bus driver $10 to allow the homeless man to ride the bus through the night in order to keep warm.”
Jim said the foundation’s principal mission is to create an awareness of mental health issues while providing funding for otherwise inaccessible mental health screening and treatment and to educate parents to recognize the potential warning signs and symptoms of mental health issues.
The foundation also started the scholarship program to reward students who “go above and beyond in helping others” and since the Covid pandemic, extended its programs to provide funding to area food pantries to help serve the needy, Jim said.
Board members Jim Snell and Abbie Guardiani, who co-chair the foundation’s scholarship committee, introduced the nine scholarship winners, reading comments from faculty members and administrators of each school about their respective selected award winner. Snell explained the scholarship winners are selected by the faculties of each school, thanking them for “helping us to select the best of the best.”
Guardiani echoed Jim Tkach’s message, urging the honorees, “No matter what, keep helping people.” She and Snell commended the students for the stories their schools passed on to the foundation on how each of them showed concern for others, with Guardiani telling the students, “The foundation board members thank you and are proud of you.”