LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Kings and the local sports community lost a special friend on May 31, 1998, when Kings media relations assistant Michael Jund passed away due to a heart condition at the age of 22.

In Michael’s honor, the Jund family, the Kings and the Kings Care Foundation are pleased to announce that Karen Goodheart (who works in the USC sports information department) is the recipient of the 11th annual MICHAEL JUND SPORTS MEDIA SCHOLARSHIP AWARD.

Designed to reward hard-working college students who shared Michael’s goal of working in the communications side of the sports industry, Karen will be honored tonight during the first period of the Kings-Columbus game at STAPLES Center. She will receive a $3,000 scholarship toward their education.

Karen, who is from Las Vegas, is a junior at USC where she majors in Public Relations. In her role as a sports relation student assistant/intern – her third year in this role – she works a variety of sports and sporting events on campus, including football and men’s basketball.

The award is based upon the qualities that made Michael an excellent worker - strong technical knowledge of sports, superior media/public relations writing and communication skills, dedication to the job and an ever-present positive attitude.