Peoria Scholarship Grows from $500 to $10K in 40 Years

Every Super Bowl Sunday in Peoria, something bigger than football brings a community together at Jimmy's Bar in West Peoria.

For over 40 years, locals have gathered to raise money for the MOGO/TKN Scholarship Fund, a memorial honoring two former athletes, Mike McLaughlin and Kelly Needham. What started as a $500 scholarship in 1983 has grown to $10,000 thanks to unwavering community support.

Mike McLaughlin worked at Jimmy's Bar during his chemotherapy treatments after a cancer diagnosis. Even while fighting the disease, he returned to coach freshman athletes at Peoria Notre Dame High School, showing the same leadership that would later define the scholarship bearing his name.

Dan McLaughlin, Mike's brother, has watched the scholarship transform over the decades. The Spears family, who own Jimmy's Bar, have guided the fund's growth from its humble beginnings to its current impact.

Kelly Needham's memorial was added to the scholarship in 2013, doubling the legacy of community leadership the fund represents. Each year, a Peoria Notre Dame High School athlete who plays two sports receives the award to help fund their college education.

The Ripple Effect

Bob Spears, brother to the bar's owner, sees the same faces return year after year to keep the tradition alive. The consistency speaks to something deeper than just an annual fundraiser.

"Peoria's a very generous community, the whole area," Spears said. "When people stand behind something, they come down and do it." That generosity has helped dozens of student athletes pursue higher education over four decades.

The scholarship does more than provide financial support. It encourages winners to carry forward the values Mike and Kelly embodied: staying involved in their communities, leading by example, and giving back even during difficult times.

Dan McLaughlin takes pride in knowing each recipient understands they're not just receiving money. They're carrying forward a legacy of two young men who made their community better, even in the face of tremendous personal challenges.

This year's winner will receive $10,000, twenty times what the first scholarship provided, proof that when a community believes in something, it keeps growing.