The 2020 Officer David White Scholarship was awarded to Katelyn Schultz, daughter of Naperville Firefighter and Paramedic Carl Schultz. The recognition took place at the Naperville Park District board of commissioners meeting held virtually on June 25. Park District Police Chief Steve Schindlbeck explained the background of the scholarship and recognized Katelyn, who attended with her family via Zoom conferencing.
The $2,000 scholarship honors the compassionate public service demonstrated by Naperville Park Police Officer David White, whose actions helped save a young man’s life in 2006. Fund by an anonymous donor since 2007, the $2,000 scholarship is open to an individual age 25 and under who either is a son or daughter of an active duty Naperville police officer, park police officer, or firefighter or someone who is serving in one of these roles themselves. Naperville Police Explorers and Naperville Fire Explorers also are eligible.
In the donor’s words, “The purpose of the scholarship is to inspire our next generation of public servants to care enough to exert the extra effort, to take a second look.”
A panel of five judges selected Katelyn Schultz as the 2020 scholarship recipient by evaluating the scholarship applications that were submitted. The scholarship panel included: Bob Ross, Chief Human Resources Officer, Naperville Community Unit School District 203; Brad Wilson, Director of Recreation and Facilities, Naperville Park District; Kamala Martinez, President and CEO, KidsMatter; Marcie Schatz, Deputy City Manager, City of Naperville; and Mike Reilly, President, Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners.
