Tulsa Teen's Volunteer Spirit Awarded With $10,000 Scholarship

A Tulsa teen has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship in recognition of his volunteer efforts on behalf of orphaned children. Matt Benjamin is one of 10 national winners of the Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program, the department store announced Tuesday.

Benjamin has been raising funds for orphaned children since going on a mission trip to Uganda in 2010, at age 12. He was moved by that experience to found a nonprofit organization called "A Chance for the Children," raising over $30,000 to build a house for orphans in that country.

He went on to organize Orphan Run, an athletic event that raises funds for orphans here at home and overseas. In 2012, the run raised more than $100,000, according to a news release. That money funded shelter and other items for children in Uganda with a portion going to the Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children.

Two Orphan Runs are scheduled for this year, in Tulsa and Mississippi.

In addition to Benjamin's $10,000 scholarship to college, Kohl's donated $1,000 to the teen's favorite charity, the National Christian Charitable Foundation.