The Alaska Winter Olympians Fund (AWOF), a scholarship program of The Alaska Community Foundation, invests an impressive $17,500 in scholarships to 10 Alaskan Olympic hopefuls.
It’s great to be supported by an Alaskan foundation. That’s Alaskans for Alaskans. Now we [Alaskans athletes] can focus on what really matters: pursuit of our athletic goals of representing Alaska and Country.
Andrew Kurka, adaptive alpine skier from Palmer, member of the 2013 U.S. Paralympic Team and ranked top-10 in the world in both Downhill and Super-G events
Two of the 2014 AWOF scholarship recipients competed in last year’s Winter Olympics. The remaining eight scholarship recipients will use their awards to continue developing their athletic skills.
Last year, I competed at my first Olympics and it was possibly the most inspirational experience of my life. While competing, I set a personal goal to someday win an Olympic medal. Thanks so much for helping me chase my goals! I couldn’t imagine doing it anywhere else.
Erik Bjornsen, youngest male member of the U.S. Ski Team
Started by former Olympians dedicated to supporting Alaskan athletes in their Olympic bids. For a complete list of scholarship awards, visit www.akwof.org.