2026 Scholarship Winners
Meet Local 881 Charitable Foundation Scholarship Winners
Five students were awarded academic scholarships by the UFCW Local 881 Charitable Foundation in June 2026. Scholarships were awarded to members and their children, with an Overall Excellence award given to the student with the highest score across all applicants. Recipients were chosen based on academic excellence, extracurricular activities, community service, and a written essay that demonstrated knowledge of a labor-related topic.
KYLE LYBARGER
Overall Excellence
$4,000 award
Kyle is the son of Local 881 member, Daniel Lybarger, and the recipient of the 881 Charitable Foundation Scholarship Overall Excellence award. He received a $4,000 scholarship. Kyle will be a Freshman at the Saint Louis University, studying Aeronautics.
VANESSA FACCHINI
$1,000 award
Vanessa is the daughter of Local 881 member, Albert Facchini, and the recipient of the 881 Charitable Foundation Scholarship award. She received a $1,000 scholarship. Vanessa will be a Freshman at University of Illinois, studying Speech Pathology.
SOFIA ISKRA
$1,000 award
Sofia is a Local 881 member and the recipient of the 881 Charitable Foundation Scholarship award. She received a $1,000 scholarship. Sofia will be a Freshman at University of Illinois—Chicago, studying Pharmacy.
ASHER MCCURLEY
$1,000 award
Asher is a Local 881 member and the recipient of the 881 Charitable Foundation Scholarship award. Asher will be a Freshman at Illinois State University, studying Math.
BELLA VYCE
$1,000 award
Bella is a Local 881 member and the recipient of the 881 Charitable Foundation award. She received a $1,000 scholarship. Bella will be a Sophomore at Joliet Junior College, studying Studying Education.
“Local 881 is proud to recognize these students for their outstanding academic and community achievements,” said Steve Powell, President, Local 881 and UFCW International Vice President. “Not only are they top-notch students, they also represent the labor community positively. I feel that our future is in good hands with these students who will contribute great things to our world. Best wishes to all of the scholarship winners and their families. A special thanks to our judges who did an outstanding job of reviewing and scoring each of the applications carefully.”
Local 881 prides itself on having a completely independent review process. We invite judges from outside our organization to review the applications and select the winners. This year, the judges included:
Frances Orenic,
Legislative Director, Illinois AFL-CIO
Elizabeth Drea,
Executive Assistant to the Director, Police Benevolent and Protective Association Labor Committee
Dan Miller,
Retired Journalist and Co-Founder Chicago Innovation Awards
Congratulations to the winners and best wishes for the school year!
To apply for the 2027 UFCW Local 881 Charitable Foundation Scholarship Program, and review other scholarship programs, click here.