COUSINS SUBS® AWARDS $7,500 TO COLIN BELTON

WAUSAU, Wis. (April 10, 2023) – Cousins Subs®, alongside its Make It Better Foundation and partner, Donald Driver, name Colin Belton of D. C. Everest High School as the first-place winner of a $7,500 Driven at Heart Scholarship.

Belton is one of four Wisconsin high school senior finalists who took home scholarships as part of the inaugural Driven at Heart scholarship contest. He was selected as a finalist due to his ability to excel academically while being a multi-sport athlete and dedicated community volunteer.

In high school, Belton played varsity tennis and soccer throughout his four years, receiving multiple unanimous first team all-conference honors, several all-state nominations and served as captain for both sports. He coached numerous soccer programs, is a certified USSF referee and three-time member of the Wisconsin Olympic Development Program State Soccer Team.

Outside of sports, Belton received the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award for his work raising puppies with Patriot K9s of Wisconsin, an organization that provides service dogs for veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury; he was also a founding member of the Junior Board.

Through his hard work, Belton obtained a 3.98 GPA and will attend Duke University in the fall to study neuroscience and history and partake in Duke’s FOCUS program studying cognitive neuroscience and law.

“I am someone who always tried my best to embody the ideals of a student-athlete, while at the same time contributing in a significant way to my community,” he said. “Balancing academic curiosity with athletic and community involvement is not always easy and receiving this award helps me realize that all my hard work throughout high school has paid off. Furthermore, to be recognized by someone I admire and with such high prestige like Donald Driver is truly an honor.”

Joining Belton is Ava Lamers of Rhinelander, Wis. who also received a $7,500 scholarship, and second-place winners, Audrey Rabitz of Manitowoc, Wis. and Dalton Hoehn of Mauston, Wis., who received $2,500 scholarships.

Belton, alongside the other recipients and their parents attended the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame 73rd Annual Induction Ceremony Saturday, April 1st, where they were recognized on stage during the ceremony by Driver and Cousins Subs Vice President of Marketing, Justin McCoy.

“These four individuals are beyond impressive,” said Driver. “We had a ton of great applicants for our first Driven at Heart scholarship contest, but Ava, Colin, Audrey and Dalton stood out amongst the crowd. It was an honor to be on stage with these four bright minds and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the next step of their life journeys.”

“We couldn’t have asked for a better group to represent our first Driven at Heart scholarship winners,” said McCoy. “I have no doubt they will find success throughout their college years and beyond – these four set the bar high for years to come.”

Cousins Subs received nearly 300 applications from stellar high school senior athletes through the Driven at Heart scholarship contest. The four scholarship recipients were selected due to their academic achievements, community contributions and success in WIAA sanctioned sports.

The four scholarships are funded by the Make It Better Foundation – the brand’s nonprofit organization that addresses the vital community needs of health and wellness, hunger and youth education. Formerly known as the Wisconsin Sports Awards Scholarship Contest, the organization has awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships to 44 high school students, including this year’s recipients.

For more information about the Make It Better Foundation, please visit cousinssubs.com/foundation.

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ABOUT THE MAKE IT BETTER FOUNDATION

Established in 2013, the Make It Better Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that aims to improve the general welfare and quality of life in the communities Cousins Subs serves. The foundation is dedicated to funding three areas of interest that are vital to any community: health and wellness, hunger and youth education. Since its inception, the Make It Better Foundation has awarded nearly $900,000 in grants and scholarships to students and nonprofit organizations throughout Wisconsin. For more information on the Make It Better Foundation, visit www.cousinssubs.com/foundation.

ABOUT THE WISCONSIN ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame celebrates Wisconsin athletic icons of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow. The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame was Founded in 1951 – the first state Athletic Hall of Fame in the United States. The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame (1951) was created before the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1963) or the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1959). The Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame Foundation’s Mission: To preserve Wisconsin’s rich history of athletic excellence, celebrate the values and virtues of sports and to inspire the principles of Teamwork, Leadership and Character development from Wisconsin’s greatest athletic heroes to our athletes of the future so that we can positively impact the culture and life lessons of youth athletics in Wisconsin and beyond. We strive to make athletics more affordable, impactful and accessible for all. For more information, please visit www.WiHallofFame.com.

About Cousins Subs

Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs®, a family-owned, fast casual sub shop established in 1972 by Bill Specht and his cousin, is driven by the mission to Believe in Better – both in the quality of food it serves and in the communities it supports. Cousins Subs and its franchisees operate nearly 100 sub sandwich shops throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, providing guests with quality deli fresh and made to order grilled subs using only the freshest ingredients on its signature bread baked daily. For more information, visit cousinssubs.com. You can also find Cousins Subs on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.