Evelyn Gates Award Committee: Melinda Minks, Maureen Dahnke, Dianne Schmidt and Betty Seale BKD WOW AWARD Melinda Minks, Maureen Dahnke, Dianne Schmidt and Betty Seale came together in 2004 to establish the Evelyn Gates Award in memory of their close friend who died of cancer on May 5, 2003. Evelyn was a retired histology technician from the University of Kansas Medical Center, an official for high school and college volleyball, softball and basketball, and she was a staunch advocate for girls' high school sports. For more than 45 years, she touched the lives of thousands of high school athletes, parents and officials in the Kansas City area. The Evelyn Gates Award was established to honor the top female high school varsity volleyball student-athlete in the Kansas City area. Area high school coaches choose the winner of the award. The annual traveling trophy is presented to the student-athlete to display at her school along with a $500 stipend for its athletic department. To! support funding of the award, the committee hosts the Match Madness tournament every September. Match Madness is a participation tournament for seventh graders from Kansas City area Catholic schools. As many as 14 schools participate and they play a guaranteed number of matches. Not only has this remarkable group of ladies established an award to honor their great friend, but also to recognize strong female athletes in the Kansas City community. They have tirelessly given their time, talents and
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