Soon The George Washington University school year will come to a close, and one student in particular has VSAG and Founding Farmers in her corner with a $5,000 scholarship to help get her closer to her BBA from the GW School of Business.

Lily Belter was selected as the first recipient of the new Scholarship for Sustainable Hospitality, and over the next four years four other students will be selected to receive the $5,000 prize.

Last fall, VSA’s very own GW School of Business alumni Dan Simons presented the award to Lily at Founding Farmers in Washington, D.C., just two blocks from campus. VSAG is committed to continue awarding this scholarship for a total of five years, seeing the scholarship as a way of not only helping support a bright future for a student that will make positive contributions to the preservation of the earth and our environment, but also as a way to give back in support of the GWU community. “We’re really proud to see someone as accomplished and as motivated as Lily be our first Scholarship for Sustainable Hospitality recipient. It’s encouraging and fulfilling to know that issues of earth-friendly practices are as important to the next generation as they are to us,” offered Simons.

Both Dan and Mike V have greatly influenced, and contributed to, more sustainable practices and awareness through DC’s restaurant community (and beyond) since launching their flagship Founding Farmers in 2008, the region’s first LEED Gold Certified Restaurant, and one that continues to draw thousands of guests each week.