MARION – It’s a milestone year for the Marion Community Foundation Scholarship Program – awarding more than $500,000 for the first time. The total, $516,000, supports higher education for 193 Marion area students, representing 11 high schools and 37 colleges and universities.
“To understand the significance of awarding a half a million dollars, consider that our Scholarship Program began 22 years ago with one $1,200 award and, this year, we have 140 endowed scholarship funds making 297 awards,” said Dean Jacob, President and CEO of Marion Community Foundation. “This is the community impact we are striving to achieve. Thank you to our donors and best wishes to all of the student recipients for the coming 2022-23 academic year.”
Marion Community Foundation’s Scholarship Program is continually growing, with new scholarships added each year. Funds awarding for the first time this year include the following eight: Dr. David & Alice Bailey Scholarship Fund, Dr. Noel & Maria Eboh Family Scholarship Fund, James A. Flickinger Memorial Scholarship Fund, Geraldine M. Hedges Memorial Scholarship Fund, Marion Music Club Scholarship Fund, Marion Rotary Club’s James M. Bazzoli, MD, Scholarship Fund, Wesley & Karen Schertzer Memorial Scholarship Fund, and Elizabeth Shumaker Scholarship Fund.
“Our 2022 scholarship awards are made possible by our donors,” said Julie Prettyman, Vice President and Director of Programs at Marion Community Foundation. “These donors have created 140 scholarship funds to support higher education for local students. The majority of our scholarships are criteria-based – meaning that the donors created their scholarship funds to support something important to them, such as students who are attending their alma mater, pursuing a specific major, or who come from a specific high school or participate in extracurricular activities important to our donors.”
The Foundation’s scholarship committee consists of Olivia Davis, Larry Geissler, Kathy Goodman, Sue Jacob, Ruth Johnston, Spencer Mathews, Sarah Rassell, and Kevin Smith. Additionally, many of the scholarships have their own committees, all of whom make recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Space limitations do not allow listing the college recipients, but the 2022 Marion Community Foundation local high school scholarship recipients and their awards are as follows:
Area High School Seniors
Colonel Crawford High School
Luke Lawson: Collier Scholarship
Northmor High School
Jack Sears: Marion Elks Lodge No. 32 Scholarship
Wynford High School
Madalyn Johnson: Collier Scholarship
Natalie Stover: Marion Elks Lodge No. 32 Scholarship
For more information on the Marion Community Foundation Scholarship Program, visit the website www.MarionCommunityFoundation.org/scholarships/. The Foundation is located inside the Stengel True Mansion at 504 S. State St. Office hours are weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
