Two Salem students receive Willy the Plumber scholarships

SALEM --Two Salem high school students have been presented with a unique scholarship, courtesy of a Utah man who understands their family situation because he has been there too.

Karl "Willy" Winsness saw first-hand the struggles his children faced while he was incarcerated in the Utah State Prison for 17 years. With the assistance of the Community Foundation of Utah -- a tax-exempt public charity that helps people with their philanthropic ideas -- Winsness created the Willy the Plumber Scholarship, presented annually to Utah students who have an incarcerated parent.

Winsness was convicted by a Salt Lake City jury in 1988 for shooting and nearly killing a Salt Lake County sheriffs deputy who was attempting to serve a no-knock search warrant at Winsness home. After not having the opportunity to raise his children, Winsness set a goal during his 2004 parole -- to help the children of other inmates.

This year's recipients include Raunie Lindberg and Ashley Black, each from Salem, as well as Abigail Bowcut from Clinton and Selena Montoya from Murray.

Raunie, a senior at Salem Hills High School, is a 4.0 student who knows exactly what life is like with an incarcerated parent. She was just 8 years old when her father Ronald Lindberg, an educator, started serving time for raping two of his teenage students.

It was a confusing time, and my mom didnt tell me what my dad had done because I wouldnt have understood, Raunie said. I grew up knowing that my dad was in prison and that was that.

Raunies parents divorced, and she, her siblings and her mom moved in with Raunie's grandmother for three years. She saw how hard her mom had to work to take care of four kids. Getting a college education remained important and was something that Raunies mom and dad encouraged her to do.

When it was just my mom and us for so long I knew that at the start of high school I would have to get scholarships to attend college because my mom couldnt pay for it herself, Raunie said. I found out about the Willy the Plumber Scholarship from my aunt. A lady in her [LDS Church] ward told her about it, and my aunt passed word on to me.

Raunie sent in her transcript and the required documentation that her father was in prison. She also wrote an essay. Raunie found out she had received the scholarship on April 18 -- her birthday.

When Blair [Hodson, director of initiatives for the Community Foundation of Utah] called and told me they were granting me the scholarship I was thrilled, Raunie said. I was jumping up and down and was really excited. I saw the benefit this would have in my schooling.

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Two Salem students receive Willy the Plumber scholarships