The 27th Annual Jack Friel Memorial Golf Scramble, sponsored by Newtown Scholarship Association (NSA), was held at two courses, Newtown Country Club and Rock Ridge Country Club on June 17. Twenty-eight foursomes were split between the two courses on a beautiful day for a round of golf with the evening ending at Rock Ridge for raffles, silent auction, and dinner.

The winning foursome at Rock Ridge Country Club comprised Mark and Greg Korotash, Dr Lionel Brown, and John Galucci with a gross score of 59, and winners at Newtown Country Club were Bob and Chris Watson, Mike Johnson, and Frank Gavel finishing with a gross score of 54.

It is custom for NSA to choose a person or group to be honored at the golf tournament. Each year the committee searches to find someone fitting the criteria of NSA’s mission of helping put a college education within reach for high school graduates of Newtown.

This year, Lynda and Guy Russo were honored by Newtown Scholarship Association. After residing in Newtown for 24 years, the Russos recently moved to Rhode Island, but always come back to the town their three children were raised in and continue to give to the Newtown community. In 2014, the Russos established three scholarships with NSA in honor of their children with the vision to help put students through college and provide them with the opportunity for a successful life.

NSA continues its mission to award scholarships and continuing aid to students with financial need heading to college. For the 2019-2020 school year, NSA has awarded 165 students from Newtown need-based scholarships totaling approximately $300,000. In the 83-year history of NSA, over $4 million in scholarship awards has been distributed to college students.