Kohl’s Awards More Than 2,500 Youth Volunteers with Nearly $400,000 In Scholarships and Prizes

Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) announced today it has awarded more than 2,500 winners nationwide with nearly $400,000 in scholarships for higher education and prizes through the Kohl’s Cares® Scholarship Program. The winners were chosen from more than 32,000 nominees nationwide, and selected for the positive impact their volunteer efforts have on the community.

“Kohl’s is thrilled to recognize this year’s winners of the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, and we applaud their efforts to better the communities in which they live,” said Bevin Bailis, Kohl’s senior vice president of communications and public relations. “It is an honor to support these students as they pursue higher education and continue to inspire all of us to serve others.”

Kohl’s Cares® Scholarship Program awarded 10 national winners $10,000 scholarships for higher education. In addition to the recognition, Kohl’s will also donate a $1,000 to the nonprofit organization of the winner’s choice. Scholarship recipients include:

• Luke Andritsch, 11, Fishers, Ind. – After music therapy played a large role in his own leukemia treatments, Luke created Rhythm Pax, a program that distributes percussion kits to patients at Riley Children’s Hospital. Since founding Rhythm Pax, Luke has delivered more than 500 kits to the hospital, offering patients and their families the opportunity to connect, cope and heal through music.
• Kanika Gupta, 18, Apple Valley, Minn. – After traveling to India and learning thousands of children die each day from preventable causes, Kanika established the Eastview High School UNICEF Club. The Club rallies students and the community to raise funds dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children around the world. Through the Club, Kanika has helped raise enough money for UNICEF to provide 7,000 doses of the tetanus vaccine and support the development of a deep-well water pump to provide clean water for children in need.
• Chad Kamen, 16, Prospect, Ky. – Motivated to put an end to hunger, Chad created Team Food Chain, a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds to support organizations combating hunger in Kentucky. As part of his efforts with Team Food Chain, Chad partnered with the Kentucky Association of Food Banks (KAFB) and lobbied to establish a $1.2 million appropriation in the Kentucky state budget for KAFB’s Farms to Food Banks Program, which provides farm fresh foods to people in need.
• Sydney Kamen, 18, Washington, D.C. – In an effort to reduce the spread of disease in Southeast Asia, Sydney developed So Others Are Protected (SOAP), an initiative dedicated to educating and promoting sanitation in rural communities. Sydney works with luxury hotels in Southeast Asia to collect and recycle discarded soap which is then distributed to villages and communities along the Thai-Burmese border.
• Hannah Laman, 12, Loveland, Ohio – In an effort to encourage literacy among children, Hannah founded Adopt a Book, an organization that collects and distributes new and gently used children’s books to underprivileged youth. To date, Adopt a Book has donated 60,000 books to more than 50 organizations, schools and hospitals that serve children in need.
• Abigail Lammers, 17, St. Louis, Mo. – As a leader for her school’s environmental action team, Abigail was integral in getting solar panels installed and implementing a composting program at each of the 29 schools in her district. Abigail also led teams of students to build individual compost bins for classrooms and a butterfly garden behind her school.
• Sharon Li, 17, Manvel, Texas – With the help of her siblings, Sharon founded We Care Act, a nonprofit that engages youth around the world to help others recover from national disasters. To date, We Care Act has rallied more than 31,000 people from 17 counties and more than 130 schools in the U.S. to raise more than $200,000 and collect more than 30,000 comfort items such as books and clothes for those in disaster stricken areas.
• Braeden Mannering, 11, Bear, Del. – After attending the Kid’s State Dinner at the White House, Braeden was inspired to form 3B: Brae’s Brown Bags, a nonprofit that fills brown bags with clean water and healthy snacks and donates the bags to area homeless shelters for individuals in need. To date, Braeden has handed out more than 2,500 bags to the homeless in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland and helps inform others of his initiative by speaking at local schools and community organizations.
• Lorelei McIntyre-Brewer, 9, Duncannon, Pa. – After being diagnosed with a health condition that caused fluid to build up in her lungs, Lorelei received a compression heart pillow that provided pain relief and ultimately helped her recover. Eager to help others with similar conditions, Lorelei started Heart Hugs where she sews compression pillows and distributes them to pediatric heart and lung patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and to orphanages around the world.
• Rachel Prior, 12, Tallmadge, Ohio – As an advocate for inclusion, Rachel was determined to complete the Cleveland Triathlon with her friend Ethan who has cerebral palsy and autism. Rachel raised the funds to purchase the special equipment necessary to compete by pushing, pulling and towing Ethan for the duration of the race. After months of training, the pair crossed the finish line together and helped raise more than $5,000 for United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland.

Kohl’s also awarded nearly 200 regional winners with $1,000 scholarships toward higher education. In addition, more than 2,000 local students in all 50 states each received a $50 Kohl’s gift card for their volunteer efforts. For more information or a complete list of Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program national, regional and local level winners, visit www.kohlskids.com.

Since the program began in 2001, Kohl’s has recognized more than 24,000 youth, including the 2015 winners, with nearly $4.7 million in scholarships and prizes. The Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program is part of Kohl’s Cares, Kohl’s philanthropic program focused on improving the lives of children. For more information about Kohl’s community involvement, visit www.kohls.com/cares.

About Kohl’s

Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a leading specialty department store with 1,164 stores in 49 states. With a commitment to inspiring and empowering families to lead fulfilled lives, the company offers amazing national and exclusive brands, incredible savings and inspiring shopping experiences in-store, online at Kohls.com and via mobile devices. Committed to its communities, Kohl’s has raised more than $274 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For additional information about Kohl’s philanthropic and environmental initiatives, visit www.Kohls.com/Cares. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com.

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