For her outstanding creative talents in tandem with her academic achievements, Jill Eelkema, from Oak Harbor, has been chosen as one of the five recipients of the 2012-2013 Beans For Brains Scholarship, a merit-based award that takes into consideration GPA, extracurricular activities and an essay, as well as the knitting or crocheting artistic abilities of applicants.

Through the generous donations and efforts of Jimmy Beans Wool, The Yarn Group, Vogue Knitting Magazine, Tahki Stacy Charles, Classic Elite Yarns, Knitting Pure and Simple, Rowan, Red Heart Yarns, Universal Yarns, Lorna’s Laces and Knitter’s Pride Needles, each award being distributed to the five outstanding students this year is worth $2,250.

Recipients of the Beans For Brains Scholarship are selected from each of the four regions of the United States while the fifth comes specifically from the Reno/Tahoe community, the home of Jimmy Beans Wool. In addition to providing insight into their educational endeavors, applicants are required to submit a photo of their latest knitting or crocheting project.

This is the third year that Jimmy Beans Wool and the fiber industry has supported the pursuit of higher education through the Beans for Brains Scholarship Program, which this year garnered nearly 1,200 applicants. The goal of Beans for Brains is to help provide opportunities for higher education to people in the knitting and crochet community.

“Paying for college is a major financial challenge for many people and every little bit helps,” said Jimmy Beans Wool Owner Laura Zander. “This is an investment in our industry and in our future.”