Lake Shore Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Lake Shore Savings Bank, is proud to announce two recipients of the Van Miller Hometown Hero Scholarship. Dunkirk High School Graduates Samantha Burgos and Scott Korzenski were both awarded up to $8,000 to be used towards higher education expenses for exemplifying the character of the longtime “Voice of the Buffalo Bills” and Dunkirk native, Van Miller.

“We are extremely pleased to award scholarships to these two outstanding Dunkirk High School students,” said Daniel Reininga, Chief Executive Officer. “Both of them have a bright future ahead of them and I know that they will continue to make the Dunkirk Community and the Miller Family proud for years to come.”

To apply for the scholarship, graduating students at Dunkirk High School submitted a written essay about their personal hero and how that hero influenced their lives. Burgos, who will attend Jamestown Community College for Nursing, wrote about how she was inspired to become a neonatal nurse by the struggles overcome by her brother, who was born two months prematurely. Korzenski explained how his High School baseball coach, who recovered from a tragic accident when he was a young man, inspired him to work towards a career as a welder.

The Van Miller Hometown Hero Scholarship Fund was established at the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation in 2008. Contributions from Van and Gloria Miller, as well as proceeds from the annual Van Miller Hometown Hero Memorial Golf Tournament, have allowed nearly $50,000 to be awarded to Dunkirk High School graduates over the last 13 years. Lake Shore Savings Bank is extremely grateful for the generous and continued support of the many area golfers, sponsors, and volunteers from the community who made this year’s tournament a success. Lake Shore Savings Bank has served as the presenting sponsor of the tournament since its inception in 2008.

Next year’s tournament will take place at Shorewood Country Club in Dunkirk on June 9, 2023.