The Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley (PCFLV) said aloha to 80 golfers who hit the greens for the fourth annual Luau On The Links Golf Outing May 24 at Green Pond Country Club in Bethlehem Township.

The event included a ceremony awarding eight local pediatric cancer survivors with one-time $3,000 scholarships to colleges or trade schools. Six of the recipients were on hand for the presentation during the luncheon that followed the shotgun start golf outing.

“We are so excited to be able to award these scholarships at the golf outing,” said Michelle Zenie, executive director of PCFLV.

“This event is super important because we have a record number of scholarship recipients. We raised $25,000, and since each recipient receives $3,000, we raised almost the exact amount needed” Zenie said.

“We’re thrilled we were able to raise the money this year, especially in light of the pandemic. Pediatric cancer didn’t stop because of the pandemic – diagnoses were still made, and families still had to deal with everything they needed to because of them.

“We had to keep supporting the families, even though financial support was down with the challenges of the pandemic,” Zenie said.

The 2021 scholarship recipients are: Ryan Glose, Parkland HS, who will attend West Chester University; Tommy Stackhouse, Bangor HS, who will attend Northampton County Community College; Zenus Francis, Bethlehem Area School District and Kailey Alderfer, Emmaus HS, both of whom will attend Lehigh University; Rowan Milne, Emmaus HS, who will attend Temple University; Travis Reese, Perkiomen School, who will attend Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, Ga.; Tyler Stasko, Northwestern Lehigh HS, who will attend Penn State University; and Porter Lilly, Northwestern Lehigh HS, who will attend Johnson and Wales University, Charlotte, N.C.

“PCFLV has helped a lot in the past and it’s so cool they’re helping even after treatment,” said Alderfer, who plans to major in biology at Lehigh University.

Jared Dowling, who won a scholarship last year, spoke during the ceremony. A graduate of Freedom HS, he is entering his sophomore year at Syracuse University with a dual major in finance and public relations.

“PCFLV helped in numerous ways during the treatment process and after, building a community of kids,” Dowling said. “The scholarship continues to help even after we enter adulthood, and I appreciate that so much,” Dowling said.

The two lowest-scoring foursomes won prizes. The Heim foursome took first place, and each player won a future foursome at Green Pond and a $50 gift card to Shangy’s The Beer Authority, Emmaus. The BSI foursome took second place, with players winning the $50 gift cards to Shangy’s.

PCFLV encouraged golfers to wear collared Hawaiian shirts for a great day of golf and fun.