Paul “Lefty” Wennik Outstanding Character Scholarship Fund
It is with a heavy heart that we share the recent passing of Paul Wennik on November 26th
As you can see from the scholarship established in his name, Paul profoundly influenced our mission, programs, and players. This recent social media share highlights just a tiny sampling of his impact. Read more below and read his obituary commemorating all of the ways he made an impact in our world, from the former left-handed pitcher and UMass Athletics Hall of Famer to music industry executive, coach mentor, board member, & so much more (& more)!
Thanks to YOU, Beyond Soccer has it’s first scholarship!
The Cummings Foundation’s $25,000 donation together with a recent gift from the JPC Foundation, a special “Lefty” friend and donor, got us to our $100,000 goal!
For full Paul Wennik scholarship, click HERE!
On June 27th, 2023, Executive Director Stephanie and the Board, led by Board President Nina Leach, raised initial funding to provide Luiz Lopez with the first Paul Wennik Outstanding Character Scholarship. It meant that Luiz, pictured with his twin brother and Paul “Lefty” Wennik, received $5,000 in college tuition costs to attend UMass Lowell last fall. For Luiz, it fulfilled a tuition gap that the family was trying to meet and came as a total surprise!
The Eagle-Tribune captured some great photos of 2nd year Paul “Lefty” Wennik Outstanding Character Scholarship recipient Eliany Guzman with Paul and her family. Like Luiz (the 1st recipient), the scholarship offsets Eliany’s tuition costs. Today, she is studying biology at Northeastern. The article captures Eliany’s excellent on and off-field work ethic, including her comments that “Stephanie (Beyond Soccer Director) has seen me grow up, and I have seen her grow up with the program. I have seen everything (in Beyond Soccer) changing, growing, and learning as the years go by. It’s just very nice to see where the (organization) is right now compared to where it was when I first started.” Yes, we are always trying to get better together. Isn’t that an important message–and it’s important to remind our friends that Paul has been part of work to get better since the beginning
For Luiz’s full scholarship award, click HERE!
For Eliany’s full scholarship award, click HERE!
