Latest News........
Thanks to the generosity of the participants and sponsors last year, we are pleased to announce that Thomas Blanchard has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship.
Thomas, an honor graduate of the Academy of Richmond County’s prestigious IB Program, played on the golf team all four years in high school and was the captain. He was also a member of the National Honor Society, National Society of High School Scholars (9th - 12th grade), District-Wide Stock Market Game Regional Winner, Academic Decathlon (10th - 12th) and UGA Terry College of Business Accelerated Business Summer Program.
Outside of school he has been, and continues to be, an active member of Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church, HowToLife Augusta Leadership Team, G&B Augusta Revitalization volunteer, Apparo Academy volunteer, and was a Team Member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student of the Year Campaign.
He will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall.
We are excited to award this scholarship to Thomas, as we know he will represent Blake and The Cricket Foundation well. #cricketfoundation
The Cricket Foundation, Inc. is also pleased to announce that Lauren Lusk has been awarded the Cricket Foundation Scholarship.
Lauren is a recent graduate of North Augusta High School where she had an excellent academic record and participated in many extracurricular activities, to include: Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, Student Government, Sophomore Advisory, Mock Trial, the “Buzz” Newspaper writer, NAHS Concert Choir, and the Future Business Leaders of America to name a few.
She had numerous volunteer experiences including Salkehatchie Summer Service, FBLA service outreach, Social, Inc., NAHS Booster Club activities, FEMA collections, Community Ministries of North Augusta, and at every event with Grace United Methodist Church.
Lauren has proven herself to be a student of the highest level of integrity and character and we know she will represent the Cricket Foundation and Blake well.
She is headed to Clemson University in the fall. #cricketfoundation
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Jackson (Jack) Linder Awarded
2022 Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship
The Cricket Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce that Jackson (Jack) Linder has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship.
Jack, a 2022 Aquinas High School graduate, has an excellent academic record and participated in many extracurricular activities while in high school, to include: the Golf Team, Shotgun Team and the School Spirit ATC Team.
Outside of school he has been, and continues to be, an active member of St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church , a volunteer for the Pregnant Choices Charity Golf Tournament, and the All-Star Kids Clinic at the First Tee of Augusta.
He will be attending college at Georgia Southern University this fall and plans on pursuing a Business degree in Marketing. #cricketfoundation
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The Cricket Foundation, Inc. is also pleased to announce that the following recent graduates were awarded 2022 Cricket Foundation Scholarships. James Barrett Trotter, Jr., Donny Loebl, Evan Prickett, Christopher Vo Booker and Caleb Ryan Waters.
Barrett Trotter - Barrett is a recent graduate of the rigorous International Baccalaureate Programme at the Academy of Richmond County High School, where he had an excellent academic record and participated in many extracurricular activities. He lettered in Golf and was the Captain of the team his Junior and Senior year. Also, while at ARC, he was a member of the BETA Club and FLAIR Club. Barrett has proven himself to be a student of the highest level of integrity and character and we know he will represent the Cricket Foundation and Blake well.
Donny Loebl - Donny recently graduated as Salutatorian from Aquinas High School. While at Aquinas, Donny received the Virtue Award for both basketball and golf. The Virtue Award is given to the member of a team who has exemplary character and who the coach can always count on doing the right thing. More recently, Donny was also selected as the Aquinas High School 2021-2022 WJBF Scholar Athlete of the year. He was also a member of the National Honor Society, FLAIR and Student Faith Leaders.
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Evan Prickett - Evan is a recent graduate of Fox Creek High School where he had tremendous academic success and was a member of the Renaissance Club. He was a 4-year letterman on the Varsity Golf Team where he earned an All-State Team appearance in 2018 and Region Player of the Year in 2021. Evan will be attending Lander University this fall and plans on majoring in Nursing. He will also be joining the Lander University Golf Team.
Christopher Booker - Christopher is a 2022 graduate of Westminster Schools of Augusta and has an excellent academic background . While in high school, he was a member of the golf, football, and basketball teams. He was also a member of the National Beta Club. Christopher plans on attending Georgia College and State in the fall.
Caleb Waters - Caleb is a 2022 graduate of South Aiken High School, where he participated in the Student Leadership University for the past two years. He will complete his training this summer by traveling to Europe for the course. Throughout his entire high school career Caleb maintained a 4+ GPA, while holding a job in the evenings, participating in varsity golf, church, and the National Honor Society. Caleb has a desire to give back to the community and has participated in several community service events. He is planning on attending Liberty University in the fall.
John Lewis Stallings III (Trey) Awarded
2021 Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship
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Augusta, GA - May 10, 2021 - The Cricket Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce that John Lewis Stallings III (Trey) has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship.
Trey, a senior at North Augusta High School, has an excellent academic record and participated in many extracurricular activities while in high school, including Golf, Cross Country, Beta Club, and FCA. Outside of school he has and continues to be an active participant at Grace United Methodist Church, volunteers at Salkehatchie Summer Service, and plays in the South Carolina Junior Golf Association and UMC basketball.
He will be attending college at North Greenville University on a golf scholarship and plans on majoring in Mathematics and Engineering. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Trey plans on pursuing a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University. #cricketfoundation
The Cricket Foundation Announces Donation
to the
Academy of Richmond County High School Golf Program
Augusta—May 13, 2019— During the monthly Booster Club Meeting held on Monday, May 13, 2019, The Cricket Foundation, Inc. donated $1,000 to the Academy of Richmond County High Schools Golf Program.
“Big Thank You to the Cricket Foundation, Evan Usry, Emily Hadden, Brent Hadden and Carter Hadden for their generous donation to ARC. It’s a wonderful way to honor our friend Blake Hadden,” said Scott Beach, ARC Booster Club President.
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The Cricket Foundation Announces Donation
to the
Aquinas High School Golf Program
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Augusta—May 13, 2019— During the monthly Booster Club Meeting held on Monday, May 13, 2019, The Cricket Foundation, Inc. donated $1,000 to the Aquinas High Schools Golf Program.
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“Thank You to the Cricket Foundation, Evan Usry, and the Hadden family for the very generous $1,000 donation to our golf team. The golfers (and all of us) appreciate it so much.,” Aquinas High School Booster Club.
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David Barbee Awarded
2nd Place Scholarship
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Augusta, GA - May 15, 2021 - The Cricket Foundation, Inc. is honored to announce that David Barbee has been selected as the 2nd Place recipient of the 2021 Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship.
David, a senior in the rigorous International Baccalaureate Programme at the Academy of Richmond County High School, has an excellent academic record and participated in many extracurricular activities while in high school. He lettered in Golf and Cross Country while in high school and is also a member of the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society.
He has an engaging personality and is a strong communicator who is often called on to act as a tour guide to new students and has also used his gifts to do mission work for his church.
David has proven himself to be a student of the highest level of integrity and character and we know he will represent Blake and the Cricket Foundation well. #cricketfoundation
TaylorMade Invitational / Lady Bear HS Golf Tournament
We would like to thank Wade Marchman for allowing us to attend the TaylorMade Invitational / Lady Bear HS Golf Tournament on March 9, 2019. One of the things we were able to do with the proceeds from our Junior - Am Tournament was to give each player a hat.
Jay Beach Awarded
2020 Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship
Augusta - June 8, 2020 - The Cricket Foundation, Inc. is honored to announce that Jay Beach has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship.
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Jay, a 2020 graduate of The Academy of Richmond County High School’s International Baccalaureate Programme, has a 4.4 GPA and is ranked #7 in his class. He is a member of the National Honor Society, National Beta Club, FLAIR, Rho Kappa Honor Society, ARC Junior Council, 2020 IB Class Committee and is a University of Georgia Merit Scholar.
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Jay, who attends Trinity on the Hill church, has an impressive community service record. He was a volunteer / family coordinator in the 11th and 12th grades for the church’s Family Promise Program.
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He is an accomplished golfer having been selected to the AAAA Georgia High School All-State Team. He was also named MVP for Richmond Academy’s Golf Team in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Jay was the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour’s (SJGT) 2018 Player of the Year (16 - 18 Age Group) and also received the 2018 SJGT Sportsmanship Award.
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Jay is the son of Scott and Meredith Beach and will be attending Wofford College in the fall to play golf. #cricketfoundation
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Julia Anne Harper
and
Benjamin Mason
Awarded 2nd and 3rd Place Scholarships
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Augusta - June 15, 2020 - The Selection Committee had a tough job reviewing all the excellent scholarship applications we received this year. Due to the overwhelming success and support we received from our 2019 tournament, we were able to award 2nd and 3rd place scholarships as well.
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We would like to congratulate Julia Anne Harper for being awarded the 2nd place scholarship and Benjamin Mason the 3rd place.
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Julia Anne is a 2020 graduate of South Aiken High School where she was involved with many groups. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Serteens, SC Palmetto Girls State, and served as Vice President of DECA. She has also been very involved with The First Tee, Aiken Chapter. During her senior year, Julia Anne was a dual enrollment student at USCA and also a Marketing Intern with Bridgestone ORT in Trenton, SC. She will be attending Lander College in the fall to study Marketing.
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Benjamin is a 2020 graduate of Greenbrier High School where he was a member of the golf team his sophomore, junior and senior years. He has been very active in the game of golf since the age of 12 and is a member of Champions Retreat Golf Club. Ben will be attending Mississippi State University in the fall, where he will be enrolled in the PGA Golf Management Program.
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Please join us in congratulating Jay Beach, Julia Anne Harper and Benjamin Mason on their success. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of them and know that they will represent Blake and the Cricket Foundation well.
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Due to the coronavirus restrictions at this time we were not able to hold a reception to recognize our recipients, but will schedule one before they head off to college in the fall.
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Thank you all for your continued support and helping us give back to the community in Blake’s honor. None of this would be possible without your generous donations and support. #cricketfoundation
The Cricket Foundation Announces
First Recipient of the
Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship
Congratulations to Mason Whatley for being named the first recipient of the Blake Hadden Memorial Scholarship.
Mason, a recent graduate of Aquinas High School, excelled both academically and athletically during high school and is headed to Presbyterian College in the fall to play golf.
We are so excited to award the inaugural scholarship to Mason and know that he will represent Blake and The Cricket Foundation well.
#cricketfoundation