Starved Rock Country Community Foundation announces newest scholarship

This article originally published in Shaw Local on January 20, 2022

Through local donor, the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation announced the 2022 scholarship program to help students pursue their dreams and goals of higher education.

Unlike many other scholarship offerings, the foundation also will offer these scholarships to students that are home-schooled.

The Carol and Dick Janko Scholarship for Promising Entrepreneurs will award a total of $7,500 to young entrepreneurs in Starved Rock Country. The scholarship reflects a lifelong commitment to youth, education, economic development and philanthropy. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited university or college for the 2022 school year and be able to demonstrate recent studies, or work-related activities focused on entrepreneurship, and the intent to become an entrepreneur.

The SRCCF included the Internet of Things (IoT) Scholarship for Science, Engineering and Technology presented by Advantech in Ottawa. Two $1,500 scholarships, one for a male student and one for a female student, will be awarded to students who have studied IoT, or have been involved in engineering, science and/or technology at school or in the community, and who will pursue a career in these industries.

The Rising Star Scholarship is available to students residing in La Salle, Bureau, Putnam, Livingston, Marshall or Lee counties who will be pursuing a degree in elementary education at Illinois State University. This scholarship provides a $5,000 award and was established through the SRCCF by Ethel McConnell, a philanthropist and lifelong educator, who taught at Jefferson Elementary School in Ottawa and Marseilles Elementary School.

The Mac-Aero Scholarship will be awarded in the amount of $10,000. Also created by Ethel McConnell, the scholarship is in memory of her late husband, Ed, who was an engineer and an aviation mechanic. He owned Mac-Aero on Boondox Field in Seneca. The Mac-Aero Scholarship will be awarded to a graduating high school senior pursuing a degree in aeronautics or aviation.

The SRCCF announced its newest scholarship: One $1,000 Pie It Forward Scholarship, established through the SRCCF by the Tangled Roots Beverage Company in Ottawa for students pursuing a career in hospitality or the culinary arts. The applicant must be enrolled in an accredited, degree-granting college or university, or a licensed trade school program for the following academic year. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 and have the skills and attributes necessary to enter the challenging hospitality or culinary arts industry.

On behalf of the Women Inspired Network of the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation, the SRCCF will offer one annual scholarship in the amount of $1,000 to assist young women to pursue their dreams through leadership and higher education. The applicant must be a current high school senior; a high school graduate; a home-schooled student who qualifies as a graduate; or a recipient of a GED program with a final score of at least 175. The successful applicant must be willing to serve as a role model in her community to make a difference to young women in her community at large.

Winners of all SRCCF Scholarships are selected by the Foundation’s Scholarship Evaluation Committee. Applications are available at all area high schools, online at www.srccf.org or by calling Cathy at 815-252-2906, ext. 2. Applications will be accepted starting Monday, Jan. 24, and the applications are due by March 31.