Sgt. Clean Car Wash launched its first scholarship program this year and, after receiving more than 100 applicants, decided on five deserving winners. 

“We were proudly able to help support youth and education in our communities by awarding five deserving students with a one-time $1,000 scholarship, including one internal candidate,” said Tracy Parnell at Sgt. Clean. 

Sgt. Clean was inspired to start this scholarship because they prioritize supporting youth and education. This commitment is reflected in their partnerships with schools for fundraising and their sponsorship of various youth programs. The scholarship program is a cornerstone of their efforts. “It allows us to invest in future generations while promoting reciprocity,” Parnell said.
 
The scholarship program was made available for any full time, qualified students in Medina, Portage, Cuyahoga, Stark, or Summit counties, to be applied toward school tuition and fees in support of vocational trades, business and/or entrepreneurship.

All applications were screened through Sgt. Clean’s community impact coordinator and the top candidates were then presented to the Senior Executive Team, after which voting took place and the top five were selected. 

Parnell explained that the application process requested the applicants to write 300 words on “What does servant leadership mean to you?” and “How will you show servant leadership in your life?” because of the high priority of this at Sgt. Clean. “Servant leadership is something important to us at Sgt. Clean Car Wash, we talk about this daily,” Parnell said. “We were looking for responses that really understood and embodied this ideal.”
 
Sgt. Clean promoted the scholarship through email, word of mouth and their Howler board. “Our Howler board is displayed on a TV screen at each location and features the latest and greatest of Sgt. Clean displayed and updated weekly,” Parnell said. Externally, they promoted the new scholarship program through social media, yard signs and partnering with the schools, chambers of commerce and cities.
 
The winners were presented with a certificate by CEO Ken Brott and Founder Brian Krusz at an award luncheon at Raintree Golf and Event Center in Uniontown, Ohio, where they were also encouraged to ask the Senior Executive Team business-related questions geared toward helping them achieve their goals. They were from all walks of life from nursing to early childhood education, even a homicide detective for the FBI, Parnell said. “We look forward to seeing all the wonderful things they achieve and what an important role they will have in our communities.”

The scholarship program was such a success, Sgt. Clean plans on doing it again. “We absolutely plan to repeat this program in 2025, perhaps we will double the number of scholarships offered to help more students in our communities!” Parnell said. “The students were inspiring, and we’d love the opportunity to fill the room with even more deserving students next year!” Parnell said.