As a former teacher, principal and Ball Foundation Consultant to the Springfield Ball Charter School, as well as member of Springfield's District 186 School Board, Melinda LaBarre has invested many years in the educational integrity of Springfield's students. Melinda and her husband, attorney Alfred “Pete” LaBarre, have established the Melinda A. and Alfred B. LaBarre Scholarship which will honor a qualified high school graduate of Springfield's public school district with a minimum high school GPA of 3.0 upon graduation. Students must also be accepted into the UIS Prairie Area Teaching Initiative program to qualify for the scholarship.