Generally speaking, swim clubs teach swimming of all levels, travel to meets, host meets, hold fundraisers, give awards, and pretty much that's it.

    But the Vallejo Aquatic Club has taken a step further with the Jeanne Roberts Favaro Scholarship toward a swimmer's college education.  The scholarship a first in the club's 35 years, is named after the club's late founder.

    "The way it goes in swimming, there are several local swimming committees," said Vallejo Aquatics president Ken Toch.  "At the district level, they award scholarships. Swim teams don't do it generally."

    The scholarship came in two-fold, as a way to honor Favaro's memory and to give some incentive within the Vallejo Aquatic Club.  The scholarship is $1,000 — half coming from the club and half from the Favaro family — but Toch anticipates that sum to grow in the future.

    "We wanted to do it for Jeanne as to what she did not just locally, but internationally," said Toch.  "Jeanne was the driving force.  The main thing is her devotion to swimming goes beyond her founding the club."

    Toch said it took a while to decide between tow candidates, but American Canyon resident Summer Lederer was selected the first winner of the club's scholarship award.

    Lederer, 17, is a graduate of Vintage High School and now an assistant coach in Vallejo Aquatics.  She participated in the Far Western championships, but she is also very active in student government and a volunteer in the community.

    She carried a 4.19 grade point average and has been accepted to UC Santa Barbara where she'll major in dance.  She hopes to become a teacher one day.

    "We are gratified that in its inaugural year, we have such high quality candidates," said Jeanne's son, B.J. Favaro.  "In particular, Summer's broad interest in the scope of her success, not just in swimming, but in academics and in giving back to the community, are representative of what our mother stood for and what Vallejo Aquatics stands for.  They will serve her well in future endeavors."

    Apparently, the Favaro family is really interested in making this a very special honor, no matter how the Vallejo Aquatics board membership changes over the years.

    "Our plan is to keep this thing going and the Favaro's are very much dedicated to this in Jeanne's memory.  It should be good.  In the upcoming years, it will be more competitive," said Toch.

    It was very competitive this year.  On first glance, I see four people with the criteria like Summer's.  We have to really dig in next year."

    The criteria are the person must be a member of Vallejo Aquatics or a local swimming team with good academic, and community related standards.