Chicago-area family makes transformational gift to Western Golf Association

Gift from philanthropists John and Kathy Schreiber will support more scholarships, expansion of Caddie Academy

GLENVIEW, Ill. — Leaders of the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation are thrilled to announce a $7.05 million donation – one of the largest gifts in the history of the organization – from Chicago-area philanthropists John and Kathy Schreiber. The gift will fund more college scholarships for caddies, expand the WGA’s Caddie Academy program and help secure the organization’s future.

The Schreiber family’s mission is to support under-resourced students by offering educational opportunities to young men and women who often encounter more barriers to access and opportunity.

“This is a transformational gift for the Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “It means that more students will have an opportunity to caddie, a job that will teach them valuable life lessons. And it means that more student caddies will have a chance to earn a life-changing Evans Scholarship.”

“Kathy and I continue to recognize that under-resourced students are forced to face disproportionately large barriers in life,” John Schreiber said. “We feel this is an opportunity to help level the playing field and give these students access to a college education and critical wrap-around supports that can provide limitless opportunities for their future.”

The couple’s philanthropic investment will support the Match Play Challenge to benefit the Evans Scholars Program, which provides full college scholarships to deserving students who show strong records of caddying, academics, leadership and financial need. Currently, a record 1,130 students are attending 24 leading universities nationwide.

The commitment also includes support for an expansion of the Caddie Academy, a seven-week summer program that provides caddie opportunities to high school students, with the goal of having them apply for an Evans Scholarship in their final year of high school. The pledge will support a Chicago-area expansion, as well as resources to establish a new chapter in the Washington, D.C. area. Since the program began with a dozen participants at a single site in 2012, it has grown to serve more than 150 participants across six chapters nationwide.

Finally, a portion of their support will be allocated to grow the organization’s endowment, securing a legacy for future caddies and Evans Scholars to attend college.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Schreiber family for this significant gift in support of promising youth caddies and the pursuit of a high-quality college education,” said Bill Kingore, Executive Vice President of the WGA/ESF. “As our organization’s values closely align with the family’s mission of helping under-represented youth, their leadership will make a lasting impact on our efforts to send even more young men and women to college through the life-changing opportunity of the Evans Scholarship.”