The Perry County Community Foundation announces community scholarship awards totaling $57,750. Funds established by generous donors made these scholarships to area students possible. In addition to announcing the recipients, Regional Director of Community Engagement & Impact, Emily Alvey says, “The Perry County Community Foundation expresses gratitude towards our philanthropic fund founders and donors, whose generosity enables the realization of these scholarship awards. Their commitment to the education of our youth profoundly influences the future of every recipient. A dedicated committee of community volunteers carries out the work of selecting deserving individuals for these scholarships. We deeply appreciate their efforts and dedication in this endeavor. The selection process is always challenging due to the exceptional caliber of our Perry County students.” Scholarship awards were announced as follows. The Birch and Ruth Shafer Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Ruth Shafer through her estate to benefit graduating seniors of any Perry County high school. This year’s recipients, receiving $4,500 each, are Lexi Schaefer, Seth Guillaume, and Katie Lynch . Lexi is a senior at Tell City High School and the daughter of Rodney Schaefer and Rachel Schaefer. Following graduation, she plans to attend Indiana State University to pursue a degree in Communications. Seth is a senior at Perry Central High School and the son of Ty and Stacey Guillaume. Following graduation, he plans to pursue a degree in Welding at Vincennes University. Katie is a senior at Perry Central High School and the daughter of Jolie Hughes. Following graduation, she plans to attend Vincennes University Jasper to pursue a degree in Nursing. The Branchville Correctional Facility Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Branchville Correctional Facility in memory of former employees to encourage current employees and their dependents to further their education and to motivate recipients to achieve maximum scholastic and vocational potential. The recipient of this year’s $1,500 award is Vanessa Hubert , a senior at Perry Central High School. Vanessa is the daughter of Kelly Allen and the late Charles Hubert. Following graduation, she plans to attend the University of Southern Indiana to study Theatre Arts. The Buehler Foods Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Buehler Foods to benefit graduating seniors of any Perry County high school demonstrating good academic standing. This year’s $1,000 scholarship recipient is Cyrilla Sommer , a senior at Tell City High School and the daughter of Andy and Sara Sommer. Following graduation, Cyrilla plans to pursue a degree in Finance at Indiana University. The Cecil and Olive Foster Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Olive M. Foster to benefit graduating seniors of any Perry County high school planning to pursue post-secondary education. This year’s $3,000 scholarship recipient is Kari Bryant , a senior at Perry Central High School and the daughter of Berton Bryant and Mindy Bryant. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Marketing at Indiana University. The Charles S. (Blackie) and Rose H. Paulin Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Betty Lou Paulin Gast in memory of her parents to benefit Perry County residents who are considered non-traditional students. This year’s $2,000 scholarship recipient is Ryan Sumner , a 1999 graduate of Tell City High School and the son of Judy Sumner. He is currently in the Graduate Counseling program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Indiana Wesleyan University. The Earl and Hazel Etienne Scholarship is an annual scholarship established by their children in memory of their parents. This scholarship was created to benefit graduating seniors of any Perry County high school planning to major in education and pursue a career in education. This year’s $500 scholarship recipient is Kaitlyn Strobel , a senior at Tell City High School and the daughter of Jeff and Crystal Strobel. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Elementary Education at Kentucky Wesleyan. The Edgar and Evelyn Whitcomb Scholarship is an annual scholarship established by Edgar and Evelyn Whitcomb to encourage Perry Central High School students to further their education and achieve maximum scholastic potential. This year’s recipient, receiving $2,500, is Katie Lynch . The Gene and Christina Schwindel Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Gene and Christina Schwindel to benefit graduating seniors or graduates of Perry Central High School pursuing post-secondary education. This year’s recipient, receiving $4,000, is Madelyn Kelly , a senior at Perry Central High School and the daughter of Aron and Sarah Kelly. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Nursing at Western Kentucky University. The Harriet and Don Neill “Perry County Values” Scholarship is an annual scholarship established by Harriet and Don Neill to help graduating seniors from Perry Central High School further their education. This year’s $2,000 scholarship recipient is Blake Hess , a senior at Perry Central High School and the son of Ryan and Brandi Hess. Following graduation, he plans to attend the University of Southern Indiana to pursue a degree in Computer Science. The J. Matthew Moore Memorial Scholarship is an annual renewable scholarship created in memory of Matthew Moore by his wife, Lucy Goffinet, and his parents, John E. and Ann C. Moore, to help students pursuing advanced education. The scholarship is for graduating seniors of Cannelton High School or Tell City High School pursuing post-secondary education. This year’s recipients, receiving $1,500 each, are Danika Maffia and Shilah McMahan . Danika is a senior at Cannelton High School and the daughter of Andrea Maffia. Following graduation, she plans to attend Ivy Tech Evansville to study Healthcare Specialty. Shilah is a senior at Cannelton High School and the daughter of Aaron and Shana Rogier. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Biology at Owensboro Community and Technical College. The Jamon L. Burchett Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship established in memory of Jamon L. Burchett by his parents, Rich and Julie, and his brother, Travis, to honor Jamon’s love for electrical repair. This scholarship is for graduating seniors of any Perry County high school planning to pursue education or training in a vocational field at an accredited institution. The recipient of this year’s award in the amount of $500 is Seth Guillaume . The John Marion Walker Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by the John Marion Walker Scholarship Trust to benefit graduating seniors of Tell City High School or Perry Central Junior-Senior High School pursuing post-secondary education at any Indiana institution of higher learning. This year’s $3,000 scholarship recipient is Elizabeth Harpenau , a senior at Perry Central High School and the daughter of Ryan and Amy Harpenau. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Evansville. The John Williams Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship created in memory of John Williams by his parents, Jim and Earla Williams, and his brother, Logan Williams to honor John’s love of working on vehicles. This scholarship is for graduating seniors of any Perry County high school planning to pursue education or training at any accredited vocational school. This year’s $4,000 scholarship recipient is Shilah McMahan . The Loren and Bernice Lanman Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Bernice Lanman to benefit graduating seniors from each of the three Perry County high schools who have been enrolled during their entire senior year. This year’s recipients, receiving $500 each, are Nakaia Little, Autumn Zellers, and Erin Holtzman . Nakaia is a senior at Cannelton High School and the daughter of Tally Little. Following graduation, Nakaia plans to attend Indiana State University to pursue a degree in Psychology. Autumn is a senior at Perry Central High School and the daughter of Nick and Jamie Zellers. Following graduation, Autumn plans to pursue a degree in International Business at Indiana University Southeast. Erin is a senior at Tell City High School and the daughter of Lee Ann Holtzman and the late Timothy Holtzman. Following graduation, Erin will be pursuing a degree in Biology at Franklin College. The Mark “Flash” Kleeman Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship established in memory of Mark “Flash” Kleeman by his wife, Angie; children, Brandon and Angel; and his extended family to benefit graduating seniors planning to continue their education or training at any accredited trade or vocational school. This year’s $1,000 scholarship recipient is Seth Guillaume . The Mildred Wempe Memorial Scholarship 1 is an annual scholarship created by the Clayton Harris Memorial United Methodist Church in Tobinsport to benefit graduates or graduating seniors of any Perry County high school pursuing education for a career in medicine or healthcare. This year’s $2,000 scholarship recipient is Emma Whalen . Emma is a senior at Tell City High School and the daughter of Jimi Whalen and Bridgett Whalen. Following graduation, she will be attending the University of Southern Indiana to study Biology/Pre-Dental. The Mildred Wempe Memorial Scholarship 2 is an annual scholarship created by TCB Bank to benefit graduates or graduating seniors of any Perry County high school pursuing a career in nursing. Madelyn Kelly is the recipient of this year’s scholarship in the amount of $1,500. The Old National Tell City Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Old National Bancorp to benefit graduating seniors of any Perry County high school pursuing post-secondary education of any kind. This year’s $500 scholarship recipient is Cyrilla Sommer . The Perry County 4-H Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by David and Evelyn Adams to benefit graduating seniors of any Perry County high school who have been a member of 4-H for at least five years. This year’s $1,000 scholarship recipient is Madison Kelly , a senior at Perry Central High School and the daughter of Luke and Emma Kelly. Following graduation, she plans to study Accounting at Indiana University. The Robert E. Boyles Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Beverly C. McGee in memory of her friend to benefit graduating female seniors of Cannelton High School. The recipient of this year’s $500 scholarship is Nakaia Little . The Robert Ress Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by the Optimist Club of Tell City, Indiana, to benefit graduating seniors of Tell City High School pursuing post-secondary vocational education or specific career training. The recipient of this year’s $500 scholarship is Kaitlyn Rhodes . Kaitlyn is a senior at Tell City High School and the daughter of Donnie and Sarah Rhodes. Following graduation, she plans to attend The Salon Professional Academy to become an Esthetician. The Rose Hazel Gabbert Paulin and Charles S. (Blackie) Paulin Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Kenton A. and Betty Paulin Gast in memory of Betty’s parents to benefit graduates of any Perry County high school pursuing post-secondary education. This year’s $1,250 scholarship recipient is Erin Holtzman . The Sam K. Oberhausen Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Mr. and Mrs. Anthony H. Oberhausen in memory of their son to benefit graduating seniors of Tell City High School pursuing post-secondary education. The recipient of this year’s $1,500 scholarship is Haley Mechels , a senior at Tell City High School and the daughter of Lesly Wilkins. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a degree in Nursing at the University of Southern Indiana. The Sam Reed Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Ralph and Rose Reed in honor of their son, Sam, and his remarkable achievements in life. This year’s scholarship recipient in the amount of $1,000 is Nakaia Little . The Stacey Peak Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship created to honor Stacey Peak, who was a victim of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. The recipient of this year’s $1,500 scholarship is Alexander Mattingly . Alexander is a senior at Tell City High School and the son of Rosalie Kleeman and the late Ronald Mattingly. Following graduation, Alexander plans to obtain a degree in Finance at Indiana University. The Wendell Werner and Loretta Werner Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Old National Trust to benefit graduating seniors of Tell City High School pursuing post-secondary education. The recipient of this year’s $1,000 scholarship is Cyrilla Sommer . The York Family Scholarship is an annual scholarship created in memory of Max and Billie York and their daughter, Sondra Kaye York, by their family to help students pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. The recipient of this year’s $1,500 scholarship is Meredith Hubert , a senior at Perry Central High School and the daughter of Jason and Sheila Hubert. Following graduation, she will be attending Western Kentucky University to pursue a degree in Elementary and Special Education. The Zachary Kleemann Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship created by Jim and Kathleen Kleemann in memory of their son to benefit graduating seniors of Tell City High School. This year’s $1,000 scholarship recipient is Haley Mechels . The Perry County Community Foundation advisory board would like to thank the parents, family members, teachers, school administrators, coaches, mentors, and everyone who has inspired these students to be the very best they can be. Congratulations to these outstanding students and their families. We wish you the best as you pursue your college degrees and future opportunities.

The Perry County Community Foundation is announcing a free, public workshop featuring Stephen Ralph, consultant/trainer with aha! Process, utilizing the Bridges Out of Poverty Model, on Thursday, June 6, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.at the Tell City Depot in Tell City, Indiana. This workshop will consist of a comprehensive approach to understanding poverty. Complimentary lunch and refreshments will be provided. In 2019, the Perry County Community Foundation collected data, hosted community forums, and selected the cycle of poverty as its focus to more effectively utilize its discretionary grant dollars. Bridges Out of Poverty provides concrete tools and strategies for a community to understand, address, and alleviate poverty. This training assists community organizations, social service agencies, employers, and individuals in gaining insight and strategies toward creating economic stability for all. During the workshop, participants will gain an understanding of the dynamics that cause and maintain poverty from individual to systems levels. Registration is required to attend and must be received by Monday, May 20, 2024. Please visit this link to register: bit.ly/bridgesper Bestselling author Ruby K. Payne founded training and publishing company aha! Process in 1996 with the mission to enable individuals, institutions, and communities to stabilize and grow resources for all, particularly those in poverty. aha! Process works to achieve this mission by providing workshops, publications, and consulting services. For questions, please contact Emily Alvey, Regional Director of Community Engagement and Impact with the Perry County Community Foundation at ealvey@communityfoundationalliance.org or 812.547.3176.