by Doug LaViolette
The Golden Apple Awards were held last week before a packed audience at the Oneida Nation Casino Hotel in Green Bay. The morning after, I found myself trying to recapture the emotions of that remarkable evening.
As parents who lost a son more than 33 years ago, you might think we would be somewhat hardened to special events. Over the years we have attended many, some we created ourselves through the Foundation that bears Brian’s name and others we have been honored to support. Each one has been meaningful in its own way.
But this one felt different.
At its heart, the evening centered on honoring local teachers, the true unsung heroes of our community. Through the Golden Apple Awards program, under the leadership of the Greater Green Bay Chamber, these educators were recognized for the lasting mark they leave on their students, something we witnessed firsthand throughout the night.
For once, we were able to sit back and simply experience the moment, without worrying about the countless details that go into making an event feel seamless. And seamless it was.
Alongside my bride of more than 50 years, Renee, and our niece Kristin Kreuser, we were able to take it all in. Kristin, who dedicated over 28 years to teaching Language Arts at Preble High School, now carries the baton forward as the new Executive Director of the Brian LaViolette Foundation. We missed having our daughter Kim with us, but her presence was deeply felt. For more than 30 years, Kim helped build the Foundation into what it is today.
We have long respected the work of the Green Bay Chamber program, Partners in Education, and have collaborated with them for more than a decade on our scholarship process that culminates in awarding one student a $10,000 scholarship in Brian's name.
With their guidance, and the support of educators across 17 schools, thousands of eligible students were thoughtfully narrowed to 17 applicants. Our family then had the privilege of interviewing six remarkable young finalists this year. From those six, one recipient was chosen, although not yet announced.
This year, we had the fortune of working alongside a new Green Bay Chamber committee: Nikki Schneider, Lisa Jossart, and Carla Zellmer. Their care, creativity, and attention to detail made the scholarship selection process feel effortless, and it was their idea to include something new, an extraordinary addition to the Golden Apple program.
For the very first time, the finalists for the $10,000 scholarship were part of the Golden Apple Awards, and introduced on stage as a culminating moment at the end of the evening.
When those finalists were introduced, we could see the pride in their families, the love in their eyes, and the promise each of these young people carries forward. At the same time, there was a quiet ache in knowing we could not award each of them the scholarship they all so clearly deserve.
And we can’t forget our good friend, Donald J. Long Sr., whose vision and inspiration helped create the Golden Apple Awards so many years ago. Sitting there, it was easy to feel that he would have been incredibly proud to see what his idea has become, and the lives it continues to impact.
What we felt in that room is difficult to fully describe. The humility, the gratitude, and the genuine joy of the teachers being recognized was unlike anything we have experienced before.
Kim often speaks about the ripple effect, how each scholarship reaches far beyond the student, touching families, communities, and generations to come. Watching those six finalists, alongside the educators who helped shape them, we could feel that ripple in motion.
Many of you may remember the promise we made on the day of Brian’s funeral, that "we would accomplish great things in his name and memory." It is a promise we have carried with us every day since.
Each of these students has already done remarkable things, and their stories remind us why we began this journey. It is also why we are making a new promise, that beginning next year, we will award more than one scholarship in Brian’s name.
If you would like to learn more about how this is possible, we invite you to visit laviolettefoundation.org and explore the Endowment Campaign for the Brian LaViolette Scholarship.
None of this happens without you.
The love, support, and belief of so many, hundreds, even thousands of individuals over the years, have allowed us to keep that promise to Brian. And through it all, we continue to see the ripple effect, in the lives of these students, their families, and all those they will one day touch.
