Fort Worth, TX, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boomer Benefits has named John Potoczky and Maurice Sellers as the recipients of its 2026 Boomer Benefits Scholarship. The annual award provides two $2,500 scholarships to college students aged 50 or older who have returned to education later in life.
Boomer Benefits Scholarship Winners
Recipients are selected on academic performance, letters of recommendation, an application letter, and — a defining criterion of the award — a demonstrated record of volunteer service.
John Potoczky has served as a full-time firefighter in Illinois for more than 20 years and has dedicated over 30 years to the fire service. After losing his newborn son in 2003 and finding little formal support available within the fire service at the time, he leaned on a close friend to get through it. Years later, when a colleague went through a similar loss, he set out to make sure other first responders had somewhere to turn.
He launched a peer support program five years ago, paying for his own specialized training in supporting people in crisis. He is now returning to study to qualify as a licensed therapist working with first responders.
Maurice Sellers left college without a degree after a hoped-for professional football career did not materialize, and built a life around service instead — first in factory work, then at his local Boys & Girls Club, and later as a truancy officer within his local school system for more than 25 years.
An encounter with a mother in crisis shifted his focus from enforcing attendance to addressing the circumstances behind it. He went on to coach high school football and received a Hometown Hero award. He is now studying to become a teacher, specializing in special education.
"We started this scholarship because education doesn't have an expiration date," said Danielle K. Roberts, Co-Founder of Boomer Benefits. "John and Maurice have both spent decades serving other people, and they're now going back to school to do it better. That's exactly what we set out to support."
The Boomer Benefits Scholarship has been awarded annually since 2014. Past recipients have included nurses, paramedics, artists, social workers, and community organizers. The application window is announced each fall on the company's website. Full profiles of this year's recipients and previous winners are available at https://boomerbenefits.com/scholarship-winners/.
About Boomer Benefits
Boomer Benefits is a nationwide, award-winning insurance agency specializing in Medigap and Advantage Plans for national carriers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, HealthSpring, Mutual of Omaha, and many other A-rated carriers. Licensed in 49 states, Boomer Benefits has a Client Service Team dedicated to helping clients with any Medicare issues that arise, free of charge.
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