NEWS BULLETIN
For Immediate Release
Contact: Gretchen Shelmon
The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, 300 Main Street, Suite 100 Lafayette, IN 47901
(765) 742-9078 or gretchen@inspiringgreater.org
The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette
Announces Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipients
Three Tippecanoe County residents will receive four-year scholarships as the 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars through The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette. They are: Zachary Kerr, Central Catholic High School, Marlee Matz, McCutcheon High School, and Cora Wood, William Henry Harrison High School. Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years of undergraduate study on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-1999 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $486 million. More than 5,000 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception. Community foundations set their own criteria for this scholarship but all Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership. “The applicant pool this year represents the most impressive and talented Tippecanoe County students. We are honored to play a role in this life-changing scholarship and we are eager to see these students achieve success and do wonderful things,” said Gretchen Shelmon, Manager of Marketing, Communications, and Grants.
After the Scholarship Nomination Committee narrowed the field to 9, the finalists were invited for an interview. The top finalists’ names were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for final selection of the recipients. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.
The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state. The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, established in 1970, serves the Tippecanoe County area. Its mission is to inspire, nurture, and practice philanthropy, stewardship, and leadership in the communities served. #
