Iredell County’s youth scholarship program named Civic Plus finalist as commissioners move to cover rising demand

The Iredell County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation Tuesday night on the county’s Youth Athletic Scholarship program and learned the program is a finalist for the 2025 Civic Plus Community Impact Award.

Austin Setzer, administrator for the program in Iredell County Parks & Recreation, told the board the scholarship effort began in 2024 and has awarded more than 750 scholarships so far and $53,041 in payments to youth sports organizations. “We were one of 10 nationwide selected to receive this award,” Setzer said.

The board was briefed on how the program works: the county subsidizes 75% of a participant’s registration fee and the parent or guardian covers the remaining 25%. Eligibility has been tied to means-tested programs such as SNAP, Medicaid and free or reduced-price school lunch, and local youth sports organizations help pre-screen applicants and process registrations.

County staff and commissioners described rapid growth and said the current budget will not cover anticipated spring demand without an additional appropriation. Commissioner Brown asked, “So how are you doing on budget? … could you help more if you had more money or is your budget … sufficient?” The county manager said the program’s 2025 registration cycle produced a roughly 230% increase in awards compared with the prior year and that…