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Community Foundation Awards 31 Scholarships to 30 Area Students - May 06, 2010
May 6, 2010 (Wamego, KS) — “If you could be any household appliance, what would you be and why?” was just one of the several essay topics that students were asked to write when applying for scholarships with the Wamego Community Foundation (WCF). The recipient of this particular scholarship, which was created by the WHS Class of 2005, was Samantha Bonderer, who wrote that she would be a blender because “The ability to blend different combinations of personalities and ideas is essential to success in the business world ... I also have the characteristics of a blender because I work well in groups and am able to put everyone’s ideas to work to present one final project. The best thing about group work is that you get other intellectuals ideas that you may not have thought about before.”
Thirty high school seniors from seven area schools and two USD 320 Teachers of the Year were honored Wednesday, May 5, at the 11th annual WCF scholarship awards banquet. Nearly 200 individuals, including the scholarship recipients, their families, businesses, and scholarship benefactors attended the event, which was held at the Wamego Middle School. The Kansas Rural Communities Foundation (KRCF) co-hosted the event and awarded four of the scholarships.
The following students were presented with scholarships (asterisk denotes a KRCF scholarship):
Onaga High School
Chelsea Ahlquist, Frank and Lorna Smith Scholarship*
Rock Creek High School
Amanda Oakley, Gus Hildebrand Memorial Scholarship
Torrey Peterson, Wamego City Hospital Scholarship
Amanda Oakley, Wamego Telephone Company Scholarship
Rossville High School
Sawyer Askren, Pete Darting Memorial Scholarship*
St. Marys Academy
Peter Stamos, Wamego Telephone Company Scholarship
St. Marys High School
Leah Piper, St. Marys Masonic Memorial Scholarship*
Hali Hutley, Wamego Telephone Company Scholarship
Wabaunsee High School
Landon Gielser, R-Tech Tool & Machine Scholarship*
Abby Heigert, Wamego City Hospital Scholarship
Ruth Anne Terrel, Wamego Telephone Company Scholarship
Wamego High School
John Hazlewood, Gaylord Belton Memorial Scholarship
Ryan Patton, Jeff Birney (Fox) Memorial Scholarship
Sydney Lippman, Kevin Dekat Memorial Jazz Scholarship
Trenton Modean, Sue Eichman Education Fund Scholarship
Jason Smith, Helm Sisters Memorial Scholarship
Amanda Scheideman, Gus Hildebrand Memorial Scholarship
Casey Hitch, Hilliard Family Memorial Scholarship
Cole Hemphill, John Lawless Memorial Scholarship
Nick Johnson, LeRoy Miller Scholarship
Kendra Hodges, Roberta Miller Scholarship
Shay Michael Chambers, R-Tech Tool & Machine Scholarship
Conner Nickerson, Rebecca Sester Memorial Scholarship
Chelsea Prockish, Teresa Ann Siebert Memorial Scholarship
Jacob DeHart, Wamego City Hospital Scholarship
Elizabeth Scherer, Wamego City Hospital Scholarship
Allen Barden, Wamego Community Scholarship
Sean Webb, Wamego High School Class of 1968 Scholarship
Samantha Bonderer, Wamego High School Class of 2005 Scholarship
Jace Rickstrew, Eric Edward Gordon Wiebler Memorial Scholarship
Jordan Umscheid, Wamego Telephone Company Scholarship
Master of Ceremonies was WCF President Doug Springer, who also presented the WCF scholarships, and invocation was given by Dr. William Ditto. Mike Rice, president of the Kansas Rural Communities Foundation, presented the KRCF scholarships.
During the awards ceremony, Lori Rice, fourth grade teacher at West Elementary School, was recognized as the USD 320 Elementary Teacher of the Year, and Curtis Chandler, eighth grade language arts teacher, was recognized as the USD 320 Secondary Teacher of the Year.
The WHS High Voltage choir provided the music; WHS Culinary Arts students and WHS State Qualifying Forensicators served dinner; and WMS and WHS Art students and Whirling Earth Gallery provided pottery and other artwork for the table centerpieces. 5-H Greenhouse provided potted plants for the stage, and the meal was catered by the Friendship House.
Ryan Toms, WHS senior, presented a video he and classmate Ryan Blanchard, who was unable to attend the banquet, produced for the community foundation. The DVD explained the mission and purpose of the Wamego Community Foundation and highlighted several funds established with the foundation, including the 4th of July Fireworks fund, R-Tech Tool and Machine Scholarship, Gus Hildebrand Memorial Scholarship, and Wamego City Park Train Enhancement Project fund.
Table sponsorships and donations helped offset the cost of the event as well as provided complimentary tickets for scholarship recipients and their guests. Table sponsors were Advocare; AMI Plumbing, Heating & Air; Barleycorn's; Bennington State Bank; Celebrations; City of Wamego; Concordia Tractor; Dekat's Auto & Hardware; Drs. Bill and Rose Ditto; Dyer's IGA; Ebert Construction; Edward Jones Investment; Farm Bureau Financial Services; First National Bank; Force Land Surveying; Friendship House; Gambino's Pizza; Highland Community College; Kansas Rural Communities Foundation; Kaw Valley State Bank; Key Offgrid Energy; Lincoln Street Station; Oz Winery; Robert and Margaret Peterson; PRN; Purple Wave; Ramblers; R-Tech Tool & Machine; REED Company; R&W Milling Co.; Ruth Siebert; Sink, Gillmore & Gordon; Smoke Signal; Spirits of '76; TC Retail Liquor; The Trust Company of Manhattan; Tyner Insurance Group; USD 320; Vision Source; Wamego City Hospital; Wamego Dental Center; Wamego Drug Store; Wamego Times; Wamego Vet Clinic; and WTC.
The event planning committee consisted of Becky Riniker, chair; René Eichem, executive director; Pam Fulmer; Donna Johnson, Jon Pachta, Margaret Peterson, Rachelle Routh, Mary Kaye Siebert, and Doug Springer. Also assisting were Eric Artzer, Matt Bulk, Lisa Diederich, Norm Huse, Steve Land, Dave Nelson, Mike Rice, and Susan Symons.
Springer noted that since its inception in 1998, the WCF has received approximately $1.3 million in gifts and donations and distributed back more than $600,000 to the community, including toward scholarships, the Wam-Sag-Man recreation trail, the Wamego City Park Train Enhancement Project, and the Friends of the Park, just to name a few. Springer also noted that the KRCF was founded in 2006 and is serving rural communities throughout the state, including Admire, Alma, Belvue, Blue Valley (Olsburg and Randolph), Havensville, Lenora, Norton, Onaga, St. George, St. Marys, Woodbine, Westmoreland, and Wheaton.
The formation of the two community foundations as 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations created efficient mechanisms through which individuals, families, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and private foundations have been able to create funds and make gifts to benefit their communities.
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For more information, please contact:
René Eichem, executive director
Wamego Community Foundation
Kansas Rural Communities Foundation
P.O. Box 25
Wamego, KS 66547
P: 785-456-8444
| Wamego Community Foundation • PO Box 25 • Wamego KS 66547 • P: 785-456-8444 • F: 785-456-8443 • E-mail |