Discover Funding Opportunities

Bob Block Memorial Scholarship

The Bob Block Memorial Scholarship was established to support students from Kalamazoo County who have demonstrated dedication and commitment to competitive swimming or diving. This one-time, non-renewable scholarship honors the memory of Bob Block, an award-winning diver from Loy Norrix who became an NCAA Division III champion at Alma College and returned to Kalamazoo to become a premier coach for swimmers and divers before his untimely death in an auto accident in the 1990s. The scholarship is remembered for honoring Block's competitive yet caring nature when working with young people. Recipients must be high school seniors enrolling full-time in an associates or bachelor's degree program, demonstrate financial need, maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA, and show dedication to competitive swimming or diving. The scholarship is administered through the Kalamazoo Community Foundation's all-in-one scholarship application process.

Brian Thiele Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship, established by family and friends in memory of Brian Thiele, provides financial assistance to students who exhibit characteristics similar to those for which Brian is so fondly remembered. This includes playing varsity and/or club soccer, achievement of personal and academic goals, overcoming obstacles to meet his goals, competitive spirit, leadership and a special caring for community. The scholarship is available to students pursuing associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, or vocational/trade certifications. Recipients must be residents of Kalamazoo County or graduates from a high school within Kalamazoo County, demonstrate financial need, have four years of participation on a soccer team during high school, and demonstrate competitive spirit, leadership, and a desire to give back to others. Brian Arthur Thiele was born September 16, 1971 in Kalamazoo, MI. He was finishing a degree in Logistics Management at Western Michigan University when, at the age of 22, his life was cut short as a result of an in-line skating accident while interning in Isny, Germany. Brian, a 1990 graduate of Portage Northern High School, spent four years on the varsary soccer team. Although he loved to play the game, he found just as much, if not more, excitement and pleasure on the sideline coaching. This scholarship honors his legacy of dedication to soccer, leadership, and community service.