Category: Scholarships

For years it was Rachel Emshoff’s dream to one day become a registered nurse. Emshoff, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh nursing graduate from Larson, clearly remembers the day she made the decision to pursue a degree in nursing. “I was in the hospital having my third baby. I had the same midwife for all three of […]

One way community foundations support their communities is by offering scholarships to local high school students. Two geographic affiliates with the Community Foundation recently featured students who received scholarships in their annual reports. The Clintonville Area Foundation awarded Jordan Lehman, a graduate of Clintonville High School, with two scholarships in 2022: A $2,500 Walter and […]

Kayla Hokenstad’s interest in education started as an elementary student, as a serious “basement” educator in play with her sister. That interest grew as she witnessed the difference her teachers made in the lives of her and her classmates. In 2014, Kayla received the Pearl Smith Future Teacher Scholarship, which helped her pursue a Bachelor’s […]

Area children and the community are two important things to Les and Dar Stumpf of Kaukauna. Together, they have created a youth arts grant program in support of young people in the Fox Cities area who are interested in music, drama, dance and visual arts. “We wanted to give young people the chance to use […]

Larry Sawyer and Debra McDowall have high hopes that the Fox Valley remains strong and vibrant, especially for the next generation. “We do feel we owe our community a debt of gratitude, as it has been so kind to us,” says Larry, who married Debra 40 years ago. The retirees live in Grand Chute and […]

“I remember my heart dropping. I just couldn’t believe it!” That was Frances Nazario’s reaction when she learned she was receiving a much-needed scholarship. Funding options for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay student’s tuition were running out, but the award is making her future graduation a reality. As a nontraditional student, “I never really fit […]

Did you know that the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region awarded $1.75 million in scholarships in 2024? Scholarships were awarded from among 238 funds created by people, businesses, and organizations to help students achieve their educational dreams. Many thanks to the generous donors who are partnering with us to make this incredible achievement […]

The Bangart family photo shoot. Nicole and Brady are on the right. Brady Kees is doing something special to memorialize his late girlfriend Nicole Bangart, a 2010 Chilton High School graduate and straight-A co-salutatorian. Five years after her tragic death, Brady and Nicole’s mother Cindy have created a scholarship fund as well as a donor […]

A scholarship fund set up to benefit graduates from six Calumet County school districts by a hard-working couple is itself working hard to carry out their charitable legacy. Violet Laack taught in Reedsville, Brillion and Kiel, starting in a one-room schoolhouse, and continued substitute teaching into her 80s. Her husband, Ruben, worked at his cheese factory […]

The Community Foundation has topped $1 million in scholarships awarded for the second year in a row. But it is letters, not numbers, that tell the real story here. The letters are from many of the 330 students that were awarded $1.06 million in scholarships supported by our donors. The assistance came from 156 charitable funds established […]

Rather than perform in person, students are once again applying for a competitive music scholarship via video. Chloe Sawall from Appleton East High School records a YouTube audition for a scholarship through the Community Foundation. She is one of two Miller Music Education Scholarship awardees in 2020. Each year the Community Foundation awards hundreds of […]

Holly Hartung isn’t sure how charitable giving became so important in her life, but she suspects the little offering envelopes she was given while attending St. John’s Catholic School in Menasha might have gotten it started. She knew the little envelopes were just for her, and she alone could decide the amount of her contribution. […]