Community Foundation awards 2018 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars and Guy D. Gundlach Memorial Scholars

Nine local students learned this week they will receive major scholarships from Independent Colleges of Indiana through the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County.  All scholarships are awarded to first-generation college students.

Three students from Elkhart County will receive Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships (LECS), covering full tuition, fees and $900 a year for required books and equipment to any accredited public or private nonprofit college or university in Indiana. The LECS program has awarded 82 LECS to students in Elkhart County. The 2018 selected students are:

• Steven Fields, Concord
• Maria Leon Buitrago, Elkhart Central
• Isaiah Mumaw, Fairfield

PHOTOS: This last week, the Community Foundation Scholarship Committee surprised the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipients at their respective schools. Pictured left to right: Steven Fields, Maria Leon Buitrago, and Isaiah Mumaw

In addition, the Community Foundation is also proud to award the Guy David Gundlach Memorial Scholarship to six students. Each will receive $5,000 per year for four years to any accredited Indiana college or university.  This memorial scholarship is one of the many positive initiatives established due to Mr. Gundlach’s gift in 2011. Since the inception of the scholarship, 30 Elkhart County students have received this $20,000 award.  This year’s recipients are:

• Jason Barahona Rosales, Goshen
• Julie Burkholder, Jimtown
• Meagan Irons, Elkhart Memorial
• Trenton Kercher, Elkhart Christian
• Destiny Schrock, Clinton Christian
• Kami Schwartz, NorthWood

The Community Foundation administers more than 90 scholarship funds. “In fiscal year 2017, the awards totaled more than $2 million benefiting hundreds of students from Elkhart County who are currently pursuing higher education,” said Rob Cripe, chairman of the Scholarship Committee. “These scholarships make a considerable impact, not only in the lives of these students and their families, but also on the educational and economic future of our county.”

ELIGIBILITY AND SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS

Each of the eligible high schools in Elkhart County selects one nominee based on academic performance (including grades and course load), extra-curricular and civic involvement, work experience, career goals, interview and an essay. “We work very hard to make sure the process is fair and without bias,” said Amanda Jamison, Community Foundation Program Officer.

After the scholarship committee receives the applications, names are removed, and the applications are scored by committee and staff. The essays are scored by Goshen College professors.  Finalists’ applications are forwarded to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI),  a non-profit corporation, representing 30 regionally accredited, degree-granting, nonprofit independent colleges and universities in the state, for final selection of the recipients. 

About Lilly Endowment
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative are 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state. The program, now in its 21st year, has awarded 4,340 state-wide, thus far providing more than $372 million dollars in tuition scholarships since inception.

About Community Foundation of Elkhart County
Community Foundation of Elkhart County partners with donors to leverage their philanthropy in ways that transform lives. Since 1989, the Community Foundation has connected the generosity of donors with community needs by providing scholarship opportunities to local students and making grants to nonprofit organizations working to improve Elkhart County.  With strength and hope the Community Foundation seeds the local landscape, supporting plans, programs, and ideas that potentially stand the test of time.  The Community Foundation strives to be a local entity known for inspiring good and impacting success. 

For more information regarding the Community Foundation, visit www.InspiringGood.org or call (574) 295-8761.