By Ryan Kupperman, Copy Editor
Growing up without brothers, senior Connor Graver couldn’t share his love of sports with his younger sisters Claire and Emma. However, his younger sister Lauren quickly picked up Connor’s love and appreciation for sports. Before Lauren passed away on Dec. 23, 2017 due to cancer, Connor promised her that he would pursue a career in journalism, where he would eventually go on to broadcast the Stanley Cup Finals and shoutout Lauren on air.
A little over one year after Lauren’s passing, Prospect journalism advisor Jason Block met with Connor, who is Associate Editor-in-Chief of the paper, and his parents, Amy and Dan Graver, to create the Lauren Graver Scholarship. According to Block, the scholarship will be offered to any senior at Prospect who intends on pursuing a career in journalism after high school —  preferably someone who has taken at least one journalism course.
Although no one wants to set a starting price for the scholarship, as both Block and Connor’s main concern involves seeing the scholarship supported enough to be continued years to come, their temporary goal is $500. In order to raise enough money to support the scholarship, Block and the Gravers are accepting donations through social media, emails, letters, etc.
In addition to donations, Connor and his sister Claire, who is also involved in journalism at Prospect within the Crest (the yearbook), are selling T-shirts for Lions Park Knots of Love, in which all of the proceeds go to funding the scholarship. Lions Park Knots of Love is an event where community members get together and make blankets that are donated to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, where Lauren was treated.
“It was really gratifying to see that the community feels the same way about the Graver family that I do,” Block said. “I wanted to do something to ensure that the [sister of] the student I care so much about will be remembered forever in this building (Prospect).”
Even though Connor is a Prospect senior within the journalism program, he will not be eligible for the scholarship. Instead, he will be able to see one of his journalism peers receive the scholarship’s first grant before he graduates.
As Block and Connor want to see the scholarship be established a long-standing tradition, Dan and Amy both hope that each scholarship winner remembers that someone had helped them get to where they are going in their career, hopefully in journalism, and they remember to pay forward the kindness that they had received— much like how Lauren had spread her kindness. 
Link to donate: https://form.jotform.com/D214Ed/lauren-graver-scholarship
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”43″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]