The Chuck Ealey Undefeated Spirit Foundation has resumed its Undefeated Spirit Essay Contest, which had been on hiatus since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Established by Mr. Ealey, a former University of Toledo stand-out quarterback, Undefeated Spirit started as a way to honor UT Rocket athletes. In 2012 it was expanded to recognize high school students annually for their integrity and spirit.
Last year, it was revised to recognize people who chose not to allow circumstances to defeat their spirits.
The contest has returned to its original format, and high school students are encouraged to submit essays about something in their life that challenged them, but failed to defeat their spirits.
The contest is limited to seniors attending high school in the greater Toledo community.
Students are required to submit a written essay describing their undefeated spirit in 500 words or less.
Essays should be written in 12-point font and lines double spaced. Essays also must include the student’s name and the name of the high school.
The essays are to be submitted electronically to kwhite@undefeatedspirit. com by 4 p.m., Thursday, March 17.
Stories will be scored by a panel of judges assembled by the Chuck Ealey Foundation. Five finalists will be selected and from those, the judges will select the overall winning essay.
The overall winner will receive a $500 scholarship and each of the four finalists will receive a $125 scholarship.
An awards reception will take place, Sunday, April 10 at the ProMedica World headquarters in downtown Toledo.
For more information, call Kristina White at 419-290- 5027 or send an e-mail to kwhite@undefeatedspir it.com.
