2020 Westbrook Christian graduate John Reese Bellew (pictured above) was one of 15 students to receive the Lutzie 43 Foundation’s Prepared for Life Scholarship, which is awarded to deserving students who show their commitment to being a good influence on their community through leadership and initiative. The scholarship winners also will serve as ambassadors for safe driving and champions against distracted and impaired driving over their four or remaining years at their college or university.
Bellew’s fellow scholarship recipients were Amelia Auchmuty of Hoover High School; Gigi Casadaban and Jack Terry of Lee-Scott Academy; Julia Bush of Opelika High School; Justus Smith of Prattville High School; Logan Hopson of Lincoln High School; Tavaria Johnson of Childersburg High School; Porter Lankford of Pike Liberal Arts; Seth Walker of Auburn High School; Angela Sciacchitano of Kell (Ga.) High School; Jack Parsons, Sydney McClure and Julia Kenner of Lassiter (Ga.) High School and Mary Beth Green of Arkansas State.
PFL also stands for Philip Francis Lutzenkirchen. Lutzenkirchen was a former Auburn University football player who lost his life as a passenger in a distracted and impaired driving accident in 2014. Since then, the foundation has been on a mission to end distracted and impaired driving crashes, injuries and fatalities. The PFL Scholarship Program equips its recipients to be positive ambassadors for safe driving in their communities and among family and peers.
“We are excited to welcome the largest PFL Scholarship class that the Lutzie 43 Foundation has seen,” said Mike Lutzenkirchen, PFL executive director and Philip’s father. “Because all of the applicants were so impressive, the board, my wife Mary, my daughters Abby, Ann and Amy and I had a hard time picking just 15 recipients. The 15 students selected represent the future of their generation, and we are excited to see how far they go in life and offer some help so they can achieve their goals.”
The foundation’s motto for youth is to “Live like Lutz, Love like Lutz and Learn from Lutz,” reflecting its desire to help others live out the many positive character attributes that Philip displayed while learning from the circumstances that led to his death.