Kolleen was a founding member of the North Carolina Friends of Santa, and at the time of her passing was the Board Secretary of the organization. Kolleen also enjoyed her role as Mrs. Claus to her husband Jim's role as Santa Claus. This scholarship was created as an ongoing tribute to her contributions to the Christmas community.
The purpose of the Kolleen Youker Memorial Scholarship is to assist Mrs. Clauses, Santas, and other Christmas performers with funding in order to attend schools/workshops which will improve their performance and skills within the Christmas community. Scholarship preference will be given to Mrs. Clauses, but all Christmas performers are encouraged to apply.
$500 total scholarship money will be available each year. May be awarded to one or more recipients, based on the number of applicants and cost of the school/workshop. Scholarship will not exceed the registration cost of the event.
Application deadline: 11:59pm June 1, 2026.