30 Years of Supporting Students
This year marks a significant milestone for The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation as we celebrate 30 years of one of our most impactful community programs: scholarships. Since our inception, we have remained dedicated to improving the quality of life for all residents, and a cornerstone of this commitment has been our unwavering support for students pursuing higher education.
Linda, Emil and Brent Ziegler established the first scholarship at The Community Foundation in 1994. The Linda B. Ziegler Scholarship supports Findlay High School graduates who are well-rounded students, demonstrate hard work, good citizenship, dependability and character, and plan to study at an accredited college, university or vocational school. Joyce and Emil Ziegler elevated it to a renewable scholarship in 2022. Their story is one of more than 150 scholarships that have been established since.
Community Foundation scholarships began awarding in 1995, launching our scholarship program as a testament to our belief in the transformative power of education. The generous donors in our community understood that by investing in our students, we were investing in the future of Hancock County.
What started as a vision has blossomed into a program that has touched the lives of thousands of individuals and their families. Today, we manage 158 unique scholarship funds, each tailored to support students with diverse backgrounds, interests and aspirations.
The impact of our scholarship program is undeniable. Since 1995, the Foundation has awarded over 5,399 scholarships, totaling $6.6 million, to 2,550 deserving students. These scholarships have not only eased the financial burden of higher education but have also empowered students to pursue their passions and achieve their full potential.
Behind these numbers are real stories of individuals whose lives have been transformed by the gift of education. There's the aspiring engineer who, thanks to a scholarship, could afford to attend their choice of university. Or the single mother who returned to college with a Foundation scholarship to build a better future for her family. Or Ryan, who received two Foundation scholarships in 2007:
“The scholarships helped make earning a college degree possible for me. My college experience also allowed me to study and volunteer abroad, which formed my career objective of international development through universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Meeting people around the world, learning from their experiences, and working together toward this life-giving Sustainable Development Goal is deeply meaningful to me.”
Each scholarship recipient carries with them the hopes and dreams of our community, and their success reflects our collective investment in their future.
As we celebrate this 30-year milestone, I am immensely proud and grateful. I am proud of the impact the Foundation has made, and I’m grateful for the unwavering support of our donors, partners and scholarship committee members. It is through their generosity and belief in our mission that we have been able to empower generations of students.
Thirty years from now, I hope the scholarship program has continued to grow and can enable every student in Hancock County to pursue their educational goals. I believe that education is the key to unlocking each student’s potential and creating a lasting impact in our community.
Click here to support one of the many scholarships at the Foundation or contact us to create a scholarship of your own. Together, we can ensure the legacy of educational support continues to thrive in Hancock County for generations to come.
This editorial was originally printed in The Courier Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
