Dennis and Lanette Whitley of Edna, Texas attended the Sudan Education Foundation Fundraiser Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 8, and presented Taylor Whitley ‘Show Up’ awards to Jordie Bellar and Gracyn Schultz.
Bellar was the valedictorian of Sudan’s Class of 2022 and is a freshman at Texas Tech. He is enrolled in computer engineering and is an active member of Christians at Tech.
Schultz is a senior at Sudan High School and plans to be a dental hygienist in the future.
Both students value church, family and community and are positive influences to others in these areas. They “show up” to serve others and are powerful role models.
The Taylor Whitley Show Up Foundation awards young people based on their character rather than academics. When Taylor passed away in 2018 at the age of 38, his wife, Shannon, and daughters Laine and Logan, now 11years-old and eight-years-old, established the foundation to help further his legacy of putting others first.
Taylor graduated from Sudan in 1998 as valedictorian and graduated from Texas A&M with the honor of Outstanding Student Athlete in 2002. He played football for the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and the Washington Commanders, formerly Washington Redskins, for a total of six seasons. When he passed away, he was part owner and Vice President of Sales for USA DeBusk, an industrial cleaning company. For more information about the foundation, please visit the Taylor Whitley Show Up Foundation Facebook page.