Michigan Scholarship Honors Lifetime of Community Service

A Michigan family is turning grief into opportunity by creating a scholarship that will help skilled trades students for generations to come.

The Bay College Foundation announced the Don Mlostek Memorial Scholarship, established to honor Donald "Don" Mlostek's dedication to community service and appreciation for hands-on work. Starting in the 2027-2028 academic year, the scholarship will support students pursuing degrees or certificates in skilled trades programs.

Mlostek's life story reads like a love letter to hard work and community. After graduating high school in 1964, he served 13 years as a Detroit Police Department officer before relocating to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 1980.

In the UP, he partnered with his parents to run the Log Jam Bar in Ford River and later became owner of Niagara Logistics, which he successfully led until retiring in 2018. Throughout his career, he remained deeply connected to his community as a proud Eagles Club member and life member of Elks Lodge 354.

His wife Sandy Szapa shared why skilled trades felt like the perfect focus for honoring his memory. "Don believed deeply in the value of hard work and took great pride in building something meaningful through dedication and perseverance," she said.

The Ripple Effect

This scholarship does more than honor one man's legacy. It addresses a critical need as communities across America face skilled trades shortages in fields like welding, electrical work, and construction.

By removing financial barriers for Bay College students, the scholarship creates pathways for young people to enter careers that literally build and sustain communities. Each recipient will carry forward Mlostek's belief that hands-on work and strong work ethic form the foundation of thriving towns and cities.

The scholarship also reflects a growing recognition that four-year degrees aren't the only path to meaningful careers. Skilled trades offer stable, well-paying jobs that can't be outsourced and remain essential regardless of economic changes.

Bay College students can apply for scholarships online at the college's website, where the Foundation continues connecting individuals and businesses with opportunities to transform lives through education.

One man's lifetime of service will now help countless students build their own meaningful legacies through the dignity of skilled work.