13th Annual Rotary Youth Scholarship Golf Tournament

August 15, 2013 will mark the 13th
anniversary of the Rotary Club of Highland Park/Highwood Youth Scholarship Golf
Tournament and this year will be more than just a round of play.  Friends and family will join rotary club
members in a day of giving, and a day of great golf play to benefit the Rotary
Youth Scholarship fund.  The goal is to
fund the education of more students in 2014 than was in 2013.  In 2013, $38,000 in scholarships were awarded
to Highland Park High School Seniors, and the club would like to see that
number even higher for 2014.

In keeping with the official motto
of Service Above Self and the 2013 theme Engage Rotary Change Lives, the club
will play host this year to retired Air Force Major General John Borling,
author of Taps on the Walls. Then-Captain John Borling, Vietnam
War POW, "wrote" and memorized poems to keep his mind sharp and
spirits up. He shared his creations with fellow captives by their only means of
communication—the forbidden POW tap code. Rapping on the cell walls with his
knuckles, he tapped poems, certainly of pain and despair, but also of humor,
encouragement, and hope, to keep everyone’s strength and spirits alive.

Major General Borling will not
only golf with a lucky foursome during tournament play, but will be the keynote
speaker at the club’s dinner and awards banquet.  “It will be a proud day for our Rotary club”,
stated co-presidents Burt Schmarak and Len Tenner.  “Major General Borling embodies the true
meaning of Service Above Self “.  Many of
our club members are veterans of war, so the event should be that more special”
Events such as this empower the club to provide college and vocational
scholarships to Highland Park High School seniors as well as grants to
community organizations such as Tri-Con Child Care Center; Family
Services; Bethany Early Childhood Learning Center; Family Network, and Highland
Park/Highwood Home Child Care Association.