Fond du Lac Noon Rotary hold Scholars Luncheon 2025

The Fond du Lac Noon Rotary Club recently hosted the annual Rotary Scholar’s Luncheon for local students with a 3.25 GPA or above.

Over200 students were in attendance and recognized for their academic achievement. Additionally, each high school selected a volunteer of the year, and that individual was awarded $250 to the charity of their choice. Local organizations chosen to receive the grants this year include Treffert Way for the Exceptional Mind, Kiwanis Club of Fond du Lac, Habitat for Humanity, and Stars and Stripes Honor Flights of Wisconsin.

The event was emceed by Marian University’s president Aaron Sadoff, and featured keynote speaker Dr. George Koonce, Senior Vice President of University Relations at Marian University.

Dr. Koonce shared his journey from humble beginnings in North Carolina to the NFL and finally academia. He earned his Ph.D. from Marquette University, where his doctoral dissertation, “Role

Transition of National Football League Players: Using the Grounded Theory,” explored the challenges NFL players face when transitioning out of professional sports. This research inspired his acclaimed book, Is There Life After Football: Surviving the NFL, which was awarded the 2016 Best Book Award by the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport.

In addition to this event, Fond du Lac Noon Rotary also sponsors numerous $1,000 scholarships to Marian University, Moraine Park Technical College and formerly UW-Fond du Lac. Throughout the academic year a student of the month from each high school is recognized and invited to attend Rotary’s weekly meetings. Annually, Fond du Lac Noon Rotary contributes over $15,000 in support of area students. A special item this year was The Scholarship Wheel. All students were entered into a random drawing for a $1,000 scholarship, which was awarded at the conclusion of the luncheon.

For more information about Fond du Lac Noon Rotary visit the website www.fdlrotary.com or check out their Facebook page Rotary Noon Fond du Lac.