The Western Indiana Community Foundation is pleased to announce the awarding of $50,000 to four Fountain County organizations.  Funding was made available through a grant partnership with the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network.

Veedersburg Revitalization Association – $12,500.  These monies will be used to assist in completing the $100,000 remodeling project of the historic 1902-1902 Clover Leaf Depot.  The Depot will be a popular spot in the hub of Fountain County to host family gatherings, celebrations, and certain business meetings. The Depot is in the heart of the Town of Veedersburg and is adjacent to the favorable multi-purpose Big Four Trail (biking/walking).  A dedication ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 27 from 10:00am – Noon at the Depot.

Covington Public Library – $12,500.  Last year’s grant of $10,000 from the foundation supplemented by another large benefactor allowed the transformation of the Children’s Library to include the addition of new furniture, mobile shelving, equipment, and sensory-friendly educational tools, plus the replacement of carpeting and tile. These monies will be utilized to repair and replace broken windows and install a heat and moisture control system in the area with matching historic panes and the protection of outdoor storm window units that will further enhance the attractiveness of the children’s area and protect it for years to come.

Fountain County Landmarks – $12,500.  The one-room frame Old Attica Library/Ladies Library was designed and completed in 1889 for $1,000.  Nearly 1,000 volume titles from the original library are on display in the building.   The historic building is in need of a new HVAC system, painting, and some exterior repairs.  Last year’s grant of $10,000 assisted in the replacement of the roof and removal of a chimney.  The local city government uses the building for meetings and office space as needed.  Attica Main Street also uses the space.  Located on a triangular plot in Attica’s national historic district the Old Library is used for school field trips and serves as the Headquarters for many of Attica’s local events, plus more.

Veedersburg Public Library – $12,500.   Last year’s grant of $10,000 was used to build a 16’ x 24’ outdoor pavilion of the east side of the building. The pavilion has a cement foundation, enclosed hipped roof design, picnic tables, benches, and electricity for outlets and lights. A sloped inclined sidewalk provides handicap accessibility.  Additional funding will provide an exterior door installed on the side of the library building and a sidewalk connecting the building and the pavilion.  This will allow for smoother traffic flow for patrons and staff during events.  Also, gutters will be installed on the pavilion, a cement bike pad, a light above the door for security and landscaping.

Dale White, CEO of the community foundation states, “These four organizations have gone above and beyond in the past twelve months to make some much needed improvements to their historic buildings that serve thousands of Fountain County citizens.  It’s a pleasure for the foundation to continue to encourage them for all their worthwhile efforts.”

The Western Indiana Community Foundation, established in 1990, is a nonprofit, tax-exempt philanthropic organization that administers individual charitable funds from which grants and scholarships are distributed to benefit the citizens of Fountain and Vermillion County.

The Wabash Heartland Innovation Network is a consortium of 10 counties in north-central Indiana devoted to working together to fuel prosperity by harnessing the power of internet-enabled sensors to develop our region into a global epicenter of digital agriculture and next-generation manufacturing.

Fountain and Vermillion County are home to many wonderful people who have made a deep impact in the community.

Are you looking for a way to memorialize a loved one or friend who is no longer with us?  Or perhaps you would like to honor a family member, friend, co-worker, or service provider who has a positive influence in your daily life?  MEMORIAL & HONOR GIFTS are great ways to honor those who are or have been significant in your life or the life of your community. Your gift will go to the fund you specify, in the name of the one you’re honoring.

The following individuals have recently passed away and the families have designated donations in their memory go to the Community Foundation.  We honor the following individuals (click on the name for more details): Tim Thomas, Harold R. Long, Darleen Swingle, Duaine Ramey, Wanda Clawson, Terry Holland, Marvin Shaw, Dr. Francis McGrady, Jr., Matt Milach, Joe Henderson, Ginger Orr, Raymond Bush, Carl Dismore, Richard Klage, David Rothrock, Ann Johannes, Ronald Smith, Charles McKinney,  Joe Hathaway, Edward C. Grubb, Sharon Sue Craft, Henry Meadows, Janice Vietti, Edward “Ed” George, Carl Swinford, Lola Simmerman, Charles ‘Dale’ Clawson, Helen Hoffman,  Martha Drake, Sandy Tuggle, Paul Kent, Harry Hoagland, Ron Howard, Charles Swingle,  Barbara Clark,  Steven C. Dice, Florence B. Fultz, Max N. Hoffman,  Lulu Belle (Trott) Woodrow, JoAnn Murray,  Erwin (Ernie) Johannes, Art Clawson, Jeff Youngblood, Fred Paxton, Mary Bowles, Janet Clark, C. David Curts,  Caleb Duncan,  Patricia Head, Jack Macy, Edna Jordan,  James Kochell, Neva Tillotson, Delores Hicks, Carl Hicks, Daniel McGrady,  Max Keller,  Freeman “Bugs” Lanum, Georgeanna Ford, Bill Deck,  Helen F. Shelby, Elizabeth “Lib” Barnhart, Charline Allen, Jeffry Ingalsbe, John Woodrow, Carol Gooding,  Richard “Dick” Shelby, Betty Shull, Marvel Dunham, Mary K. Young, Marcia Cooper, Carol V. Myers, James “Jim” McCormick, Rosemarie Haas, Marilyn Gebbink, Jean (Frances) Blickenstaff, Robert “Bob” Branam, Larry Carlson, John Cotten, Sr., Mirriam (Newmark) Fogel, Helen Freas, Heidi (Shambach) Johnson, Joan Rennick, Vicki (Collins) Stevens, and Arley White.

All memorial and honor gifts are acknowledged to the person or people you designate so that the loved one’s family, or the person you are honoring, is aware of the gift.  Or you can make an anonymous gift if you desire to do so.  The amount of the gift is, of course, confidential and only you will receive a gift acknowledgement for tax purposes.  It’s very easy to give a memorial or honor gift – just CLICK HERE to get started.

The application process is now open for high school seniors from Fountain & Vermillion County to apply for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, administered thru the Western Indiana Community Foundation.

Students must apply by Wednesday, September 1 at: www.wicf-inc.org.

The scholarship will provide 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 Indiana public or private college or university.

For answers to your questions, please contact the Community Foundation at (765) 793-0702, ext. 3.

The Attica Community Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the Nancy Bourne Benevolent Fund in memory of Nancy Rose Bourne, 74, who passed away on March 12, 2022, in Lafayette, Indiana. Nancy was the daughter to Milton S. Bourne and Wavalene Lois (Conner) Bourne Strait.

Nancy was born on November 23, 1947, to Milton Sylvester Bourne and Wavalene Lois (Conner) Bourne Strait. After graduation in 1965 from Pennville High School, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Ball State University. Her teaching career began at Lake Ridge Junior High in Gary, Indiana, and later continued at Calumet High School in Gary and East Jay Elementary in Portland, Indiana. In 1977 Nancy began teaching at Seeger Memorial High School in West Lebanon, Indiana. For 36 years, until her retirement in 2013, she was admired and respected as a talented, dedicated, and quite witty English teacher.  Among Nancy’s community activities were Delta Theta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Kappa, Fountain-Warren Retired Teachers Association, and the Moose Lodge of Attica.

The purpose of the fund is to provide financial support for elderly citizens of the Attica Community.  Such assistance would include, but not necessarily be limited to food, clothing, prescriptions, and transportation for their medical care. A variety of organizations may be the beneficiary of grants from the fund.  Some of these would include, but not necessarily be limited to the Attica Thrift Shop, Attica Sharing Kindness (ASK), Mobility for Area Citizens (MAC Van – a program of the Community Action Agency of Western Indiana), and Township Board of Trustees (Davis, Logan, Shawnee).

Contributions may be made online at www.wicf-inc.org or mailed to: Attica Community Foundation, Attn: Nancy Bourne Benevolent Fund, P.O. Box 161, Attica, IN 47918.

Touch here to see the entire listing of scholarship recipients awarded by the Community Foundation at the following Senior Awards Programs:

Wednesday, May 11 – Covington High School
Wednesday, May 11 – Fountain Central High School
Wednesday, May 18 – North Vermillion High School
Thursday, May 19 – South Vermillion High School
Friday, May 27 – Attica High School

Check out the Fountain County & Vermillion County Summer Newsletters at: WICF – Publications (wicf-inc.org)

Congratulations to recent grant recipients:
Covington Easter Egg Hunt ($1,000), Clinton Little League ($3,000), City of Attica – Shredd Day ($500), Vermillion County Disc Golf Club ($2,655), Hope Springs Safe House ($1,371), Perrysville Fire Department ($3,000), Miss Fountain County Queen Pageant ($500), Parke-Vermillion Retired Teacher’s Association ($450), Attica Jr/Sr High School ($2,000), Little Italy Festival ($1,500), Newtown Community Church ($1,000), City of Clinton – Fire Department ($300), North Vermillion School Corporation – Science Fair ($500), Johnny’s House ($10,000), Attica Park Board ($10,000), Town of Cayuga – Volunteer Fire Department ($5,400), N0rth Vermillion Elementary School ($1,000), and Clinton Public Library ($3,000).  More →

The Community Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the Retha Dean (Coffing) Martin Scholarship Fund.

Retha Dean (Coffing) Martin (1924-1991) was a lifelong resident of Fountain County and was well known and loved for her unwavering kindness and compassion.  During World War II, she graduated as a nursing cadet from the Lakeview College of Nursing in Danville, IL, while her fiancé, Thomas O. Martin, was serving in combat with the United States Marine Corps in the South Pacific.  When the war ended, he remained overseas on assignment to China before returning to the United States and being honorably discharged from the military.  Both were graduates of Covington High School’s class of 1942.

After the war, they married and settled into farming outside Covington.  They were blessed with six children, and later, dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Her nursing skills were always in demand on the farm, and the way she tended to others inspired many of her descendants to go into the healing and helping professions.  As of 2022 and the founding of this scholarship, we have 3rd and 4th generation retired, practicing, and student nurses in the Martin family as a direct result of her powerful example.

The purpose of this scholarship is to honor Retha Dean’s memory and encourage and support others who feel called to the nursing profession.  It is open to ANY resident of Fountain County who has been accepted to, or is currently enrolled in, an accredited bachelor’s level or higher nursing program.  The scholarship can be awarded year over year until graduation for students in good standing, up to and including the doctorate level.   

Contributions may be made online at www.wicf-inc.org or mailed to: Western Indiana Community Foundation, Attn: Retha Dean (Coffing) Martin Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 175, Covington, IN 47932.

Thirty-one (31) new endowment funds have recently been established to benefits area communities and high school students.  For more details click on the link to learn more about each fund.

The new funds include: Nancy Bourne Benevolent Fund, Retha Dean (Coffing) Martin Scholarship Fund, The Strawser Family & Jim & Wanda Clawson Scholarship Fund, Joseph D. Henderson Family Fund, Clinton High School Memorial Monument Fund, Rick Randles Art & Music Appreciation Fund,  Scott Stanton Scholarship Fund, Mandy Stanton Cancer Fund, Dr. Robert E. & Marceline A. Dicks Indiana State Medical School Scholarship, LIVINGenerously Donor-Advised Fund, Harold & Jean Rieches Scholarship Fund, Lee & Thelma T. Clingan Fund, Anna & Les Zimmerman Fund,  Charles Todd Wagoner Scholarship Fund,  Mariah (Martin) Zabriskie & Sean Zabriskie Scholarship Fund,  William & Nellie Hendrix Scholarship Fund, Carl Swinford Memorial Scholarship Fund, Ellis Family Scholarship Fund, Dr. Robert & Sue Ewbank Scholarship Fund, Yale & Orthanna Yager Scholarship Fund, Carol Shew Nursing Scholarship Fund,  Christy DeSutter Cancer Fund,  Kay Shoaf Scholarship Fund, Randall G. Shoaf Scholarship Fund, Robert & Lucreita (Verrill) Shoaf Scholarship Fund,  Patricia Scherer Leath Education Scholarship Fund, William, Johanna & Mario Wilson Charitable Community Fund,  Darrell & Edith Dennis Community Fund, Daniel & Renee McGrady Family Fund,  CDH Scholarship Fund, Wallace-Minnette Community Fund, George Norman Family Fund, Mark & Cindy Mason Community Fund, and the Michael & Mary Margaret Rhees Community Fund.

To learn how you can establish a fund to benefit your community contact Dale at (765) 793-0702 or by email at dwhite@wicf-inc.org.

The Community Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the The Strawser Family & Jim & Wanda Clawson Scholarship Fund by Jim Clawson on behalf of the Strawser Family including Dale M. & Gladys (Jones) Strawser; Wilma (Strawser) Hybarger; Donald Strawser; Robert D. Strawser; and  Jim & Wanda (Strawser) Clawson.

The purpose of the scholarship is to provide tuition payments for graduates of Covington, Attica, or Fountain Central High School who have been accepted as a full-time student at any two-year or four-year public college or university in the United States.

Several criteria will be taking into consideration when selection recipients including financial need, school and/or work activities, community/volunteer service, and academic performance.  One scholarship will be awarded annually with the first scholarship recipient being announced in May 2023.

Dale White, CEO of the Community Foundation states, “The Clawson family has made a very generous contribution to establish this fund. Fountain County youth are going to benefit greatly from this fund for generations to come.”

Contributions may be made online at www.wicf-inc.org or mailed to: Covington Community Foundation, Attn: The Strawser Family & Jim & Wanda Clawson Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 175, Covington, IN 47932.