Noble County Community Foundation Announces Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipient

    A Noble County student has been named recipient of four-year, full-tuition scholarship as the Noble County Community Foundation 2016 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars.

Lucas Graden of East Noble was selected to receive full tuition to the Indiana college of his choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.  Lucas is the son of Kelly and Bradley Graden of Kendallville.

Lucas plans to study Telecommunications/Film and Television/Digital Media Production at Butler University. Some of his activities in high school include Mayors Youth Advisory Council, National Honor Society, Basket Brigade, Trinity United Methodist Church, East Noble Theatre, Tennis, Show Choir and Archery as well as other activities.

Upon the surprise announcement Lucas stated, “Gee, I haven’t been called down to the Principal’s office since elementary school. This is unbelievable – high school is almost over and what a dream to actually achieve this.”

Parents Kelly and Bradley said, “We are very proud of Lucas and all of his achievements – we are truly blessed.”

To be eligible for the scholarship students must reside in Noble County and attend an accredited high school, and achieve a high school grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.  Students need to be well-rounded seniors through their community service, volunteerism and extracurricular activities and work experience as well as leadership roles.

This year’s applicants were initially scored for performance, community service and volunteerism, extracurricular activities and work experience, as well as leadership roles.

This year’s 58 Lilly applicants also provided recommendation letters from three references and submitted three essays, which were evaluated by a community foundation committee of six Noble County citizens, who interviewed the top 10 finalists.  Those finalists not offered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Noble County Community Foundation, Inc.

Names of the top candidate and two alternatives were then submitted for final selection approval to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for the selection of the recipients.

ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.

The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education.  Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree.  There were 142 scholarships awarded statewide.

Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship: Four years of full tuition and required fees awarded to one
well-rounded high school senior who resides in Noble County, that will receive a diploma from an accredited Indiana high school by the end of June 2016, and will pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an accredited public or private college or university in Indiana. Requires community service and at least a 3.5 high school grade point average.  

Top Honors Interview for 2016 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship

Brown, Claire – East Noble
Buchanan, Sarah – West Noble
Devers, Lynsee – East Noble
Graden, Lucas – East Noble
Kane, Daniel – East Noble
Ness, Samantha – West Noble
Phan, Phillip – East Noble
Stohlman, Timothy – West Noble
Stayner, William – Central Noble
Yoquelet, Alyssa – East Noble

Students are to be at the Noble County Community Foundation office located at 1599 Lincolnway South, Ligonier, Indiana between 5:30 pm and 5:40 pm on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship interview.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Linda Speakman-Yerick
PHONE: 260-894-3335
EMAIL: linda@noblecountycf.org

Indiana’s Community Foundations Hit Halfway Mark of $66 Million Matching Grant Challenge

NOBLE COUNTY “Giving for Tomorrow” (3/11/15) – Indiana counties are a little richer today. In July 2014, Lilly Endowment Inc. announced a statewide challenge grant to community foundations, totaling $66 million, with incentives that include a $1-for-$1 dollar match.

Those incentives have worked. Community foundations have already raised more than 50% toward the match.

“With this grant, and the different match opportunities, we are projecting more than $130 million will be raised for our communities. We still have a way to go but are thrilled with such a strong start,” says Rosemary Dorsa, vice president of the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, a membership association that supports Indiana’s community foundations.

The Endowment crafted the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) grant opportunity to allow community foundations to have flexibility in how the charitable funds can be used in each community, and offer meaningful incentives that encourage community members to get involved.

The local community foundation, NOBLE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION is eligible for $500,000 if it meets its match challenge by March 31, 2016. Through March 5, 2015 have raised $216,372 of additional endowed gifts.

“NOBLE COUNTY is excited to be a part of this opportunity,” says Linda Speakman-Yerick, Executive Director “Once we meet the challenge, we will have $1,150,000 to invest in our community.”

This GIFT initiative matching grant greatly enhances the local community and Indiana as a whole. In 1990, when the first GIFT grant was made, Indiana was home to only a dozen community foundations. Now, there are 94 community foundations and county affiliate funds in Indiana, serving each of Indiana’s 92 counties. Local leaders and community volunteers make decisions that positively address their own unique community needs.

“The grant is in line with a long-time vision of Indiana communities growing their capacity to make critical decisions for their own people now and in the future,” says Dorsa.

Funds are invested to grow over time, creating a greater impact year after year. This matching opportunity is the sixth phase of the Endowment’s GIFT initiative for Indiana community foundations. The GIFT initiative was designed to help local Indiana communities develop the philanthropic capacity to address their own needs and challenges. Since 1990, the value of Indiana’s community foundations that have regularly participated in GIFT grew from $30 million to almost $2 billion, and more than $915 million went back into the communities through local grants.

This new matching challenge continues that growth and could add about $132 million in new dollars, which would generate $6 million or more in additional grants every year…forever! But, donors are needed. “This generous match opportunity is exciting because anyone can get involved in a big way,” says Dorsa. “Many gifts to community endowments will be matched $1 for $1, which effectively doubles that donor’s gift.”

The $1-for-$1 match includes a focus on building community endowments that are unrestricted and have the greatest flexibility to respond to local needs from year to year, decade to decade. The Endowment’s match will be in amounts from $500,000 to $2 million, depending on the population of the county.

Each community foundation or affiliate fund has designed its own challenge within the parameters of the grant and should be contacted for local eligibility. Typically, gifts qualifying for matching funds must consist of contributions of cash or property which can include marketable securities, cash equivalents, and real property. Multi-year pledges are also able to be matched as long as each gift is received by the community foundation before March 31, 2016.
Noble County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1991 to serve donors, award grants, and provide leadership to improve Noble County forever. To obtain information, contact Linda Speakman-Yerick – 260-894-3335 or email at linda@noblecountycf.org and visit our web site at www.noblecountycf.org
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