La. Kids’ Chance Golf Tournament Raises $27K for Children of Injured Workers

Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC) reported that LWCC Chairman Aubrey Temple and president/CEO Kristin Wall presented a check in the amount of $27,000 to the Louisiana Bar Foundation to support its Kids’ Chance Scholarship Program at a banquet held May 8 at the Country Club of Louisiana. The program provides monetary assistance to children of work-related accident victims.

The ceremony followed the third annual LWCC-Kids’ Chance Invitational Golf Tournament, which raises money for the scholarship fund. Including the $27,000 collected from the May 8 tournament, the event over the past three years has raised about $80,000 designated for scholarships to children of Louisiana employees injured or killed on the job.

Kids’ Chance committee co-chairman Gary Knoepfler accepted the check on behalf of the Louisiana Bar Foundation, which administers the scholarship program.

Over 30,000 injuries and 66 deaths due to job-related accidents were reported to the Louisiana Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration in 2005.

“Although workers’ compensation insurance provides financial assistance to families when a parent is hurt on the job, there are still many unmet needs such as school tuition, books, fees and general living expenses,” said Wall. “LWCC is honored to help fill in the financial assistance gap for these deserving young students.”

Scholarship recipient Jarrett Marchand of St. Amant attends Nicholls State University, where he is majoring in pre-law. He also received a golf scholarship from Nicholls State. “This is my second year receiving the Kids’ Chance Scholarship,” Marchand said. “It takes a great deal of pressure off my parents, who are on a limited income.”

Marchand’s father was injured in a job-site accident that left him paralyzed.

Seleigh Simon, another Kids’ Chance scholarship recipient, is a summa cum laude graduate of Eleanor McMain High School in New Orleans and attends Loyola University in New Orleans where she is majoring in political science. “I am very grateful for this scholarship,” said Simon. “It helps me to fund my education without taking out additional loans, so I can fully concentrate on my studies.”
Simon’s father was killed when he was involved in a vehicle accident while transporting heavy equipment.

Kids’ Chance scholarships are available to Louisiana residents between ages 16 and 25 who demonstrate financial need and meet other qualifications. Any accredited Louisiana university; community, technical or vocational college; or state-approved proprietary school qualifies.

Kids’ Chance scholarship recipients for 2005-2006 are: Ashley Baldi, Many, La.; Jacob Belaire, Lake Charles; Natalie Habetz, Ragley; Sally Anne Elise Hair, Prairieville; Christopher C. Henry, DeQuincy; Vickie Keys, Port Barre; Brandon LaGrange, Breaux Bridge; Jacob Landry, Jennings; Lori LeBlanc, Oberlin; Jarrett Marchand, St. Amant; Tonya Massey, Winnsboro; Kimberley Rider, Jennings; Steven Rider, Jennings; Seleigh Simon, New Orleans; Dionne Ashley Smith, New Orleans; Drew Sokol, New Orleans; Joshua Thornton, Metairie; and Casey Todesco, Metairie.

The Louisiana Bar Foundation’s (www.raisingthebar.org) Kids’ Chance program awards scholarships to dependent children of workers killed or permanently and totally disabled in an accident that is compensable under state or federal Workers’ Compensation Act or law. It is administered by the Louisiana Bar Foundation and is governed by a committee representing a cross section of the legal and workers’ compensation communities, including LWCC. The first Kids’ Chance program was founded in 1988 by the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Georgia Bar Association. Today there are programs in more than 20 states.

Source: LWCC