Winning Spirit Magazine July-August 2015 | Page 9

SHARING THE GIFT OF HIGHER EDUCATION WINNING SPIRIT IN ACTION Education has always been important to Larry H. and Gail Miller. As their business continued to do well, they looked for opportunities to give the gift of education to as many people as possible. The first step was the creation of the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation in 1996. The program offers educational assistance to dependent children of full-time employees of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. Since its inception, the program has helped more than 1,574 students at over 80 different colleges, universities or trade schools throughout the United States. Last year, more than 300 scholarships were awarded through the foundation. D.J. Bolerjack, son of Utah Jazz broadcaster Craig Bolerjack, joined the 2News team in 2014 and is now the Chief Bureau Reporter in Southern Utah after spending two years as a multimedia reporter and weekend anchor at KSNT 27 in Topeka, Kansas. D.J. attended Kansas State University on a Larry H. Miller scholarship and graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism. While in school, he was a writer for the University newspaper, radio play-by-play analyst, college ambassador and on-air talent for the University television station. During his career, he has done everything from covering breaking news, politics and feature stories to chasing tornados on the Kansas plains. Today, he reports live every day on KUTV2’s 5 and 6 o’clock news from sunny southern Utah. D.J. Bolerjack For recent University of Utah graduate, Kaitlin Freestone, the scholarship made all the difference in the world for her education. “My father works at Larry H. Miller Toyota Murray, and I was lucky enough to be a recipient of the scholarship from the LHM Education Foundation. If it weren’t for my scholarship I likely wouldn’t have attended college, let alone graduated with a bachelor’s degree,” said Kaitlin. At graduation, Kaitlin proudly wore a stole of gratitude for Gail Miller as a token of her appreciation for the gift of higher education she received. Ambra Jackson and Gail Miller In addition to the Dependent Scholarship program, the Miller family extended its impact on future generations by offering scholarship opportunities to students who might not otherwise be able to attend college. The University of Utah Diversity Scholarship and Enrichment Scholarship programs provide assistance to an outstanding group of students from diverse backgrounds. As a little girl, Ambra Jackson wanted to grow up to be the president of the United States. She was born in Las Vegas and moved to Utah when she was young. Ambra graduated from Northridge High School with dreams to be the first in her family to attend college. A Diversity Scholarship made that dream a reality for Ambra, who will serve as the upcoming student body president at the University of Utah. Ambra is entering her fourth year at the University of Utah majoring in strategic communications with a minor in French. Kaitlin Freestone After graduation she would like pursue a master’s of science in public relations and corporate communication. The scholarship, along with her hard work and determination, continues to open doors for Ambra and her fellow scholarship recipients. Dawn and Bryan Miller, Gail Miller, and Steve Miller with the Larry H. and Gail Miller Enrichment Scholarship recipients for 2015. To learn more about educational opportunities and scholarship requirements for the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation, visit www.lhm.com/giving-back/education-foundation.