Kansas City, MO— The Chamber's 2008 Top 10 Small Businesses will make a big impact in the lives of 10 Kansas City metropolitan area students. The high school seniors will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to be used toward their college education.

Last year, The Chamber's 2008 Top 10 Small Business CEOs: Jim Baker, Dimensional Innovations; Jeri Bartunek, Bartunek Technology Group, Inc. ; Ed Christman, Cramer Products, Inc.; Erica Cohen, Handmark ; Tom Fritzlen, Martin, Leigh, Laws & Fritzlen P.C.; Ron Hill, Redemption Plus; Lori Mallory, Kansas City Internal Medicine; Jeanette Prenger, ECCO Select; Chris O'Connor, Liquid 9; and Aaron and Connie Zack, Sunlight Saunas decided to invest in the future workforce by establishing the Tomorrow's Top 10 scholarship fund .

Information about the Tomorrow's Top Ten scholarship was made available to all high schools in the Greater Kansas City area through The Chamber's Superintendent's Forum. "The goal was to have 50 first-year applicants, and we had over 75," said Mallory. "Twenty-two students (10 from Missouri and 12 from Kansas ) were asked back for interviews. It was more than difficult to narrow down to the Top 10, but they are all amazing candidates."  The deadline to apply was March 1, 2009 , with scholarships awarded at the end of the 2008-2009 school year .

The Top 10 scholars will be recognized at The Chamber's 2009 Small Business Celebration Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 20, 11 :30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center .

The Tomorrow's Top 10 scholarship recipients are :

Amanda Black, Platte County

Laquisha Fears, Raymore Peculiar

Daniel Ferman, Shawnee Mission North

Aubrey Ireland , Blue Valley North

Eddie Kimeu, Olathe Northwest

Cole Prather, Raymore Peculiar

Marlee Rogers , Blue Valley

Brenda Romo, Shawnee Mission South

Jourdyn Smarker, Excelsior Springs

Anitra Washington , Grandview