2021 GBL Awards & Scholarships

The Dylan Meier Get Busy Livin’ Foundation proudly announces its 2021 awards to hard working high school scholars, athletes, and youth volunteer groups. For the past 11 years the GBL Friends and Sponsors have generously donated to our Foundation; and through these efforts, we are able to provide the following awards for 2021.

Scholarships

From over 38 applicants, the following 9 students from our Crawford County high schools are this year’s award winners:

Lara Wells, Girard High School and plans to attend Peru State.

Bree Murphy, Girard High School and plans to attend Johnson County Community College

Emily McGown, Pittsburg High School and plans to attend Kansas University

Cole Jameson, Pittsburg High School and plans to attend Oklahoma State University

Mary Goetting, St. Mary’s Colgan and plans to attend Kansas University 

Rachel Fox, North East High School and plans to attend Pittsburg State University

Hannah Eckstein, Frontenac High School and plans to attend Pittsburg State University

Cory Brynds, Girard High School and plans to attend Central Florida

Douglas Brown, St. Mary’s Colgan and plans to attend Pittsburg State University

Athletic Award

PHS Football Dragons Inspirational Player of the Year is presented to L.J. Butcher. During L.J.’s high school career he was a team captain and three sport athlete (football, basketball and track) winning numerous state honors in all sports.  He plans to play football at Washburn University in the fall and major in marketing.

Youth Volunteerism

Each year the GBL Foundation promotes various volunteer activities throughout Southeast Kansas.  From a list of applicants these worthwhile projects were selected.

  • Playground Painted Games is a project at Bartlett elementary School in Bartlett, Kansas to enhance their playground area.  7th and 8th grade students will paint stencils for added games and fun at recess. 

  • The Pittsburg High School Key Club will be cleaning weathered tombstones at the Crocker Cemetery in Cherokee County Kansas. The name of their group is “Always Remembered”. 

  • The Northeast Arma Junior High School in Arma, Kansas 6th grade class will be in charge of a “JH Recycling Project”.  They will not only recycle paper in their rooms, but will collect plastic and aluminum cans in nearby buildings. 

  • The Learning Center Volunteer Class in Girard, Kansas will be visiting local parks to recycle and pick up trash. They will also start a garden at their center to maintain and enjoy.  

  • “Kid Focused Experiential Retail” is a learning based on observation project with the SEK Humane Society’s Doggie Bag Resale Shop in Pittsburg, Kansas. It will teach children the stores mission to help animals while learning the operation of a business.  

  • The 4-H Club of Cherokee County in Columbus, Kansas will make their fairground more attractive. They will design, paint and hang signs around the area for this summer’s County event. 

  • Fostering Connections in Pittsburg, Kansas is a group of volunteers whose mission is to help foster adoptive children with church and community involvement. They learn about caring and loving in a family environmental through foster care. 

  • Boy Scout Troop #10 in Oswego, Kansas will pick up trash at Labette County Fair. This troop will serve not only Labette, but several neighboring counties.


The GBL Club

The Get Busy Livin’ Club at Pittsburg High School is sponsored by Abbey Cummings and has about 25 members. Their purpose is to live each day to its absolute fullest and spread that idea on to everyone they meet. Although COVID 19 slowed their work somewhat, they helped the Salvation Army during the Christmas season, with their adopt a Child program at each elementary school and gave each a Christmas gift, served at the Lord’s Diner, and helped at the Special Olympics Track and Field event at PSU. A special thanks goes to Jamey Sukraw and the PHS Alumni golf tournament’s contribution to the club which helped stock food for the PHS food bank and buy clothes for the clothes closet. 


Moving forward to the Spring of 2022 we hope to again host our 12th Annual 5K Run, Friendship Walk, and Kid Fest in Pittsburg, Kansas. 

Let’s plan to gather again to share our stories as GBL Friends and Family. 

Get Busy Livin Foundation