The scholarships, most of which are from permanently endowed funds, will support recipients as they attend accredited post-secondary institutions during the 2025-2026 academic year. Each scholarship is guided by the unique legacy or interests of the donor who established it.

“Each of these scholarships tells a story, but the common thread is an investment into the future,” said Catherine Meckes, CEO of the Community Foundation. “Whether the scholarship fund was established to honor a loved one, encourage local young people, or celebrate a milestone, each award carries forth that story. Our donors believe in education, and they believe in the young people of our communities. We’re proud to help their legacies live on through these awards.”

This year’s scholarships and their respective recipients include:

• Abby Chamberlain, a graduate of Pikeland CUSD #10 High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Chamberlain will attend John Wood Community College and will study ag business management.

• Anna Venvertloh, a graduate of Quincy High School, received the Quincy High School Class of 1957 Scholarship. Venvertloh will attend the University of Notre Dame and study in the fields of science and math.

• Aubrey Trowbridge, a graduate of Quincy High School, received the F. Lee & Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship. Trowbridge will attend Illinois State University to study education.

• Augustine Mahsman received her fourth-year renewal from the Alton A. Vannice FFA Leadership Fund.

• Austin Garnett, a student of Quincy University, received the Amelia E. Bauner, Frances A. Hall, and Walter J. Hall Scholarship. Garnett will continue to study education.

• Benjamin Kaylor, a graduate of Canton High School, received the Ben C. & Etta Plank Memorial Scholarship. Kaylor will attend State Technical College of Missouri and will study agriculture. 

• Braxton Forshey, a graduate of Pikeland CUSD #10 High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Forshey will attend Illinois State University to study Agriculture Education.

• Brayden Hill, a graduate of Hannibal High School, received the Hannibal High School Class of 1955 Scholarship. Braydon Hill is a graduate of Hannibal High School. Hill will attend Missouri Science and Technology to study geophysics and geological engineering.

• Carter Jones, a graduate of Pleasant Hill CUSD #3 High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Jones will attend Lake Land College to study agriculture technology.

• Dennis Hedges, a graduate of Highland High School, received the Ben C. and Etta M. Plank Scholarship. Hedges will attend the Moberly Area Community College and study agriculture.

• Dorothy Renae Billups, a graduate of Palmyra High School, received the Teresa Lynn Thompson Memorial Scholarship. Billups will attend Columbia College to study business management.

• Emmalee Drebes received her third-year renewal from the Alton A. Vannice FFA Leadership Fund.

• Flint Kirk, a graduate of Griggsville-Perry High School, received the Robert L. Adams Memorial Education Scholarship. Kirk will attend Ozark Technical College to study electrical distribution systems.

• Grace Fessenden received her second-year renewal from the Alton A. Vannice FFA Leadership Fund.

• Hannah Hodges, a graduate of Western CUSD #12 High School, received the Dorothy J. Motley Memorial Scholarship. Hodges will attend Black Hills State University.

• Kayla Maguire received a second-year renewal award from the F. Lee & Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship Fund. Maguire attends Quincy University and studies education.

• Keyarri Holder, a graduate of Quincy Senior High School, received the Becky Swisher Crowe Memorial Scholarship Fund. Holder will attend Drake University and will study acting and K-6 Education.

• Lane Lipcaman, a graduate of Griggsville-Perry High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Lipcaman will attend Iowa State University to study agriculture.

• Logan Fencik, a graduate of Griggsville-Perry High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Fencik will attend Iowa State University to study agronomy. 

• Lydia Fisher received a second-year scholarship from the F. Lee & Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship Fund.

• Lynton Bock, a graduate of Palmyra High School, received the Alton A. Vannice FF Leadership Scholarship. Bock will attend the University of Missouri to study agriculture education and agriculture business.

• Macy Behrens, a graduate of Hannibal High School, received the Clifford H. Ahrens Scholarship Fund. Behrens will attend the University of Missouri-Columbia to study law.

• Madison Burse, a graduate of Pleasant Hill High School, received the Virginia Kaye Leinweber Leeds Scholarship Fund. Burse will attend Culver-Stockton College to study nursing.

• Mallory Blessing, a graduate of Canton High School, received the Tom and Judy Zenge Fund Student Award. Blessing will attend the University of Northern Iowa to study early childhood education.

• Mariah Dunham, a graduate of Pikeland CUSD #10 High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Dunham will attend John Wood Community College to study agriculture.

• Miles Lorton, a graduate of Calhoun District #40 High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Lorton is a graduate of Calhoun District 40 High School and attends Lincoln Land Community College to study agricultural business.

• Olivia Brodbeck, a graduate of Brussels CUSD #42 High School, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Brodbeck will attend Western Illinois University to study precision agriculture and agronomy.

• Taylor Richie received a renewal from the F. Lee & Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship Fund.

• Wyatt Lipcaman, a graduate of Griggsville-Perry, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship. Lipcaman attends Iowa State University to study agronomy.

• Wyatt McClintock, a graduate of Pikeland CUSD #10 High School and current student of John Wood Community College studying agriculture science, received the Delford M. & Portia K. Richter Agriculture Scholarship.

In 2012, Alton Vannice’s wife, Joyce, and their family, decided to honor Alton's legacy of agricultural leadership by establishing the Alton A. Vannice FFA Leadership Fund. The family endowed a scholarship for the further education of Palmyra FFA students who show outstanding leadership qualities and seek to enter agricultural careers. Alton Vannice was a 10th generation farmer who learned the skills of leadership through his experiences in the Palmyra FFA Chapter. Alton's beliefs in his community and in agriculture were expressed as he served on numerous committees and boards throughout his farming career. He gladly served in these capacities and others because he believed in the values expressed in the FFA creed: leadership, respect, the ability to work efficiently and think clearly, and in the promise of better days through better ways.

The Becky Swisher Crowe Memorial Scholarship Fund provides a scholarship at an accredited two-year or four-year institution for a Quincy High School senior intending to pursue a degree in education. Becky Swisher Crowe taught at Quincy Junior High School and Quincy Senior High School. She was killed March 9, 1979 in an automobile accident on her way to work. Her colleagues immediately set up a scholarship in her name. “Becky loved kids and teaching,” said her best friend Karen Bottorff. “Whenever she was around, it was a happier place.” In 2006, the scholarship was transferred to the Community Foundation to ensure Becky’s name and legacy endured. 

Dorothy Plank established the Ben C. and Etta M. Plank Memorial Fund, in honor of her parents, through her trust. The scholarship is for students graduating from Canton High School or Highland High School (Lewis County, Missouri) to help fund college tuition. The endowed fund will continue to provide support for students continuing their education for years to come.

Dorothy Plank was a modest person who did not draw attention to herself. She thought long and hard about what she wanted to do to benefit others. A longtime friend and her attorney both agreed that while living she would not have wanted people to know her estate plans. They also agree that what Miss Plank did serves as an example for others to consider when planning for charitable causes. 

The Clifford H. Ahrens scholarship was established in memory of the late Honorable Clifford H. Ahrens, who dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice, serving the citizens of Missouri as a well-respected attorney and judge. The scholarship will annually provide support to a Hannibal High School graduate who intends to study law. 

With a goal to support future farmers and share their dedication to community, Delford and Portia Richter gifted a 234-acre farm to the Community Foundation in December of 2024 to establish an endowed scholarship fund.

This scholarship will annually provide support to graduates of high schools in Pike and Calhoun Counties, Illinois, who will study agriculture and related areas at an accredited postsecondary educational or nonprofit technical institution located in Illinois, Missouri, or Iowa. 

The Dorothy J. Motley Memorial Scholarship Fund was established as part of Mrs. Motley’s will to assist a Barry High School student attending college. “Mrs. Motley was very quaint and lived quietly,” said Debbie Harshman, owner of The Paper in Barry. “She made (people) feel so special. That quality is priceless...making others feel special.” The scholarship for a graduate of the former Barry, now Western High School, helps with expenses for attending an accredited post-secondary institution.

The F. Lee & Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship Fund was established in 2021 in honor of Joan’s dedication to education. Joan spent 39 years as an elementary teacher in Wisconsin, Singapore, and Quincy, Illinois.

The scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior from Quincy Senior High School who intends to pursue a teaching career at an accredited two-year or four-year post-secondary institution, with a preference for elementary education. Based on academic achievement, merit, financial need, and good citizenship, the scholarship is renewable for up to three additional years.

The Hannibal High School Class of 1955 Scholarship Fund provides a scholarship to a Hannibal High School graduate who will be attending an accredited post-secondary institution for tuition, room and board, fees and/or books, and related expenses.

At its 50th reunion, two members of the Hannibal High School Class of 1955 challenged others to establish a scholarship to give back to the community and school that were so important to them during their formative years. Forty-six members made founding gifts to establish this scholarship fund in 2005. 

The scholarship was initiated with a gift from Dr. John E. Sallstrom to commemorate the 50th Reunion of the QHS Class of 1957. “The scholarship fund should help the recipients continue their chosen career paths and motivate them to strive for excellence in their lives,” says Dr. Sallstrom. “If it encourages other individuals and classes to do something similar in the future, the whole community will be enriched.” The Quincy High School Class of 1957 Scholarship Fund provides one or more scholarships to a Quincy High School graduate who will be attending an accredited, four-year post-secondary institution for tuition, room and board, fees, and/or books, and related expenses. 

The Robert L. Adams Memorial Education Scholarship Fund was established in memory of dedicated educator Robert Adams. The fund seeks to support graduates of Griggsville-Perry High School who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution to pursue a career in education or a technical trade. 

The Teresa Lynn Thompson Memorial Scholarship Fund was established with memorials and donations made following Teresa’s death in May 2004. The scholarship assists a Palmyra R-1 High School student attending a post-secondary school. Teresa’s roots were in Palmyra. She had many family and friends there. She spent her life’s work in radio. Her ability to work and deal with people earned her great respect, according to her employer and friend, Bud Janes, former owner of Bick Broadcasting. 

The student scholarship recipient recommends the selection of the Key Teacher award recipient. The primary consideration is for the teacher who has been most influential in helping the student to achieve academic success. Mrs. Brittany Welker is an art teacher at Canton R-V High School. With the award, Mrs. Welker hopes to buy cameras to improve the quality of supplies for the students involved in Yearbook and Photography.

The Zenges established their fund in 2006 with the Community Foundation to provide annual scholarships and teacher recognition awards at Canton R-V High School. The scholarship provided by the Tom and Judy Zenge Fund encourages the best and brightest young men and women to enter technical careers, whether engineering, research, teaching, manufacturing or other related fields. The teacher award recognizes a teacher who continues to make learning a lifelong passion.

The family of Virginia ‘Ginger’ Leeds established the fund as a tribute to the health care professionals who took care of Ginger when hospitalized. Although Ginger was confined to a wheelchair at age 33, she kept her enthusiasm for life and sense of humor. She returned to college at age 43, where she completed her bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees. 

The Virginia Kaye Leinweber Leeds Scholarship Fund provides a scholarship to Pleasant Hill High School graduates interested in pursuing the field of nursing. “Mom loved young people and wanted to see everyone have the opportunity to go to college,” says her daughter, Leah Erke. “I chose the field of nursing as a way to honor all of the nurses who cared for her.”

For a comprehensive list of scholarships and detailed application information, please visit the Community Foundation's official website at www.mycommunityfoundation.org/scholarships.

The Community Foundation is committed to supporting the educational aspirations of students in our region. We encourage all eligible students to apply and take advantage of these opportunities to further their education and contribute positively to their communities.