June 22, 2012

Camp Photo Gallery

MILWAUKEE - The Nicholas Family Foundation is again underwriting the funding for scholarships to allow Milwaukee Public School students to attend boys and girls basketball camps at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this summer.

This is the third-straight year the family has made a camp scholarship donation, with the program's return underway during boys' day camp this week.

In fact, nearly 50 MPS students received scholarships to attend both the morning and afternoon sessions of day camp this week, with another group set to attend girls' camp next week.

All camps are held in the Klotsche Center and are directed by the UWM men's and women's basketball coaching staffs. Campers receive complete basketball instruction, including basic fundamentals and lectures from the coaches. Camp also includes daily games and contests, individual evaluations and lunch for those that attend all day.

UWM alumnus David Nicholas, President and Chief Investment Officer of Nicholas Company, Inc., and his wife, Lori, have been ardent supporters of the school and its athletics program. They are once again providing a big assist in helping the department and University get even more involved with youth in the local community.

"We continue to be very happy to support this worthwhile program again this summer," David Nicholas said. "Our men's and women's basketball teams have always done such a great job of being involved in the community, and having these young kids interact with the coaches and student-athletes will be an extremely positive experience. This is also a great way to expose the youth of Milwaukee to the great UWM campus and the experience of being on a college campus."

The partnership between UWM and MPS is an important one for the University.

"Every action we can take to get the young people of Milwaukee to literally see themselves on a university campus is worthwhile," UWM Chancellor Michael R. Lovell said. "Through the combined support and efforts of David and Lori Nicholas, the Milwaukee Public Schools and our Panther Athletic Department, we're helping more girls and boys see higher education in their future."

For MPS, the program exposes students to the college campus and environment, something that may spark an interest in education and college down the road. UWM officials are able to work closely with officials in the athletics and recreation departments at MPS to select the students to attend the camp. Plus, the program has received tremendous support from the leadership at MPS, including superintendent Gregory Thornton.

The scholarship program also adds to the long list of ways the men's and women's basketball program are contributing to the local community, something both men's coach Rob Jeter and women's coach Kyle Rechlicz stress with their student-athletes.

"I am extremely happy we are able to offer this opportunity to students from the Milwaukee Public Schools and expose them to our campus and the university experience," Jeter said. "The Nicholas family continues to be extremely generous with its support for our program and our department, and they are also extremely active in a positive way with our community. We ask a lot of our student-athletes when it comes to giving back and one way they can do it is by having a positive influence on the kids they come in contact with. Hopefully, with this program, that includes making a positive mark on the lives on some deserving students in our community."

"It is great to have this very worthwhile program continue in my first year as head coach in Milwaukee. The opportunity to expose some deserving Milwaukee Public School students to our camp and to our university is an important one," Rechlicz said. "I am well aware that the support of the Nicholas family is extremely important for the success of our program and this is a great way for them to be even more involved. I believe that having a major impact on the youth of Milwaukee is an important responsibility for our student-athletes and this program gives them and all of us a great opportunity to do that."