The scholarship pays tribute to Charlene Just-Wisniewski Eike, who was known to all as “Boots.” A student at Marquette High School, Boots participated in various sports and school activities, along with some general mischief. Boots was also crowned the Ottawa City Champion in tennis.
After graduation, she attended St. Xavier University, became an educator, and taught at Wallace Grade School for 30 years. Boots was inducted into the 2000 Marquette Hall of Fame based on her distinguished career in education. Boots cherished humor, her many friendships, her family, and her faith.
Established by her niece, Kathy Wisniewski, and her sons, David and Donald Wisniewski, the scholarship criteria requires that female student applicants can demonstrate engagement in community service, leadership skills, participation in extracurricular activities, a faith-based lifestyle, and an interest in pursuing a career geared toward improving the lives of children such as an educator, counselor, librarian, speech/language pathologist, social worker or behavior analyst.
The ”Boots” Wisniewski-Eike Scholarship application can be found here or can be obtained by contacting Janice Corrigan at the SRCCF office in Ottawa at 815-252-2906. The 2026 Scholarship season opened on January 12, 2026, and the deadline for scholarship applications is March 6, 2026. The SRCCF welcomes students to review all 17 scholarship opportunities, ranging in financial awards from $1000-$10,000.
