D.J.'s Hero Awards Luncheon Celebrates 20 Years
Back row from left: Garrett Long, Aleasha Potratz, Peggy and David Sokol, Martyna Holthus and Abdinur Muqtar. Front row from left: Amanya Pavelka, Stephanie Perez Bolanos, Hope Weber, Dali O'Neill, Kyla Wallinger and Haiden Kreber.
Nearly 1,400 community members gathered May 8 for the 20th annual D.J.'s Hero Awards Luncheon at the CenturyLink Center Omaha. The event raised a record $586,000 to support youth development programs in the Omaha metro.
“The D.J.’s Hero event started small, but over the last 20 years has grown into one of the largest, most inspiring, most unique events in all of Nebraska,” said Major Greg Thompson, divisional commander of The Salvation Army Western Division.
Guests celebrated the 10 2018 scholarship recipients and enjoyed a keynote presentation by legendary Denver Broncos quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway. This year’s event also included a surprise appearance by Nebraska Cornhuskers Head Football Coach Scott Frost who told the scholarship recipients that they could wear their achievements with pride. “Nothing worth having ever comes easy,” Frost said.
A Legacy of Caring
The scholarship program was founded in 1999 by David and Peggy Sokol in memory of their son. D.J. Sokol was the kind of young man who always kept his eye out for the kids who didn’t quite fit in. Even after he was diagnosed with cancer, D.J.’s passion for helping others only intensified, and he often reminded his parents to “look out for those who don’t have a voice.”
After D.J. passed away in 1999 at the age of 18, the Sokols partnered with The Salvation Army of Omaha to establish the D.J.’s Hero Awards scholarship program, which, over the past 20 years, has funded 131 scholarships to deserving high school seniors from across Nebraska. Award winners have gone on to become teachers, architects, airline pilots, lawyers, medical professionals and military personnel, to name just a few of the many successful careers.
Among the special guests at this year’s 20th anniversary luncheon were 20 D.J.’s Hero alumni, many of whom expressed their appreciation for the financial support they received from the Sokols and The Salvation Army.
“I didn’t have a lot of money growing up, so the scholarship really helped,” said Jessica Harek, a 2011 scholarship recipient who earned a degree in athletic training from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “It also changed my point of view of myself and helped me see my life more positively.”
Mark your calendars for the 21st annual D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon, which will be held May 7, 2019. The event will be chaired by Terri and Jack Diesing Jr. with featured speakers Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose story was featured in the 2009 film “The Blind Side.”
The Future Is Bright for D.J.’s Heroes
As each D.J.’s scholarship recipient stepped onstage to accept their award and enjoy their well-deserved moment in the spotlight, each also carried a compelling, often harrowing story — a testament to their courage, perseverance and resilience.
Among this year’s scholarship recipients was Abdindur Muqtar of Omaha, a Somalian refugee who spent most of his childhood in one of the most violent refugee camps in the world before immigrating to Nebraska in 2017.
Alongside Muqtar was Hope Weber of Lincoln, who was born with such significant physical challenges, doctors didn’t expect her to live beyond 10 days. Today Weber is an ambassador for Make-A-Wish Nebraska, helping the organization raise more than $1 million for children in need.
Muqtar will major in economics at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, and Weber will pursue a degree in English or journalism at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.
The eight other students who received $10,000 scholarships were: Martyna Holthus of Humboldt, Haiden Kreber of Sutherland, Garrett Long of Valentine, Dali O’Neill of Cody, Amanya Pavelka of Oxford, Stephanie Perez Bolanos of South Sioux City, Aleasha Potratz of Wolbach and Kyla Wallinger of Atkinson.
In addition to attending the college of their choice, this year’s award recipients will also be the first to participate in a brand-new mentoring program offered by The Salvation Army and TeamMates Mentoring, which was founded in 1991 by then Nebraska Cornhuskers Head Football Coach Tom Osborne.
In spite of the many challenges they have faced through the years, one thing is clear: the 2018 D.J.’s Heroes have a bright future ahead of them.
D.J.’s Hero Would Not Be Possible without a Legion of Supporters
Dozens of individuals, corporations and organizations collaborated to help make the D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon an outstanding success this year.
This year’s event was chaired by Jill and Bruce Rasmussen, with Jill leading the selection committee, which was faced with the challenging task of selecting 10 scholarship winners from more than 200 applicants. Bruce, in addition to chairing the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee and fulfilling his daily responsibilities as athletic director of Creighton University, led the D.J.’s Hero development committee.
In addition to the Rasmussens’ leadership, Terri and Jack Diesing Jr. served as vice chairs and Gov. Pete Ricketts served as honorary chair. Members of the development committee were: Mickey Anderson, Dave Bishop, Hal Daub, Jack Diesing Jr., Fred Hunzeker, Chris Murphy, David and Sandy Parker, Bruce Rasmussen, Dr. Jack Stark and Zach Wiegert. Members of the scholarship selection committee were: Paula Blackledge, Suzanne Caruso, Elizabeth Cassling, Laura Combs, Julie Fritz, Lori Hogan, Jill Rasmussen, Gary Sadlemyer, Gene Spence, Gail Werner-Robertson and Nancy Wolf.
Thank you to our premier and benefactor sponsors: David and Peggy Sokol, Fred G. Arkoosh Jr. Foundation and Suzanne Caruso, Creighton University, CQuence Health Group, UltraAir, Northern Natural Gas, Dana and Reva Altman, C&A Industries, Cox Communications, Fred Hunzeker, KETV, Mutual of Omaha, the Parker Family Foundation, Bruce and Jill Rasmussen, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, and the Lori and David Scott Foundation.
And thank you, as well, to our many additional sponsors who helped make this event possible.
A Commitment to Education
Toward the end of his nine-year battle with cancer, Fred Arkoosh Jr. crossed paths with a young man fighting his own cancer battle. That young man was D.J. Sokol. “They had the same oncologist, so they occasionally took chemo together,” remembered Fred’s sister, Suzanne Caruso.
The Fred G. Arkoosh Jr. Foundation, which was established by Fred shortly before he died in 1998, has generously supported the D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon under Suzanne Caruso’s direction for the last 20 years, helping to carry on the legacies of both Fred and D.J. “My brother was always willing to help people, both friends and strangers alike. He was a strong believer in education, knowing the future of our country rests with its children,” said Caruso. “It was clear D.J.’s Heroes was something Fred would have enthusiastically supported.”
Fred — who served as president and CEO of the family business, Wilkinson Manufacturing Company — was a true Renaissance man. He was an engineer by education but had a great passion for the arts. In addition to the D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon, the Foundation supported the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Creighton Prep, the Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands and the Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation.
According to foundation guidelines, this year marked the 20th and final annual contribution by the Fred G. Arkoosh Jr. Foundation to the D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon. Caruso also served on the scholarship selection committee for the last 20 years and will continue on in that capacity.
“We could not be more grateful to Suzanne Caruso and the Fred G. Arkoosh Jr. Foundation for its loyal support of D.J.’s Heroes over the last two decades,” said Jeff Beckman, executive director of development for The Salvation Army Western Division. “Their generosity has positively impacted the lives of 131 promising young Nebraskans, and through this support D.J.’s legacy lives on.”