LAGRANGE ­— Five LaGrange County high school seniors have been named finalists for the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

This prestigious award recognizes an outstanding high school senior from LaGrange County who exemplifies service, leadership, and academic excellence. The recipient will receive a full-tuition scholarship for four years to any accredited college or university in Indiana, along with a $900 annual stipend for books and equipment.

The finalists are Gavin Engle, Grace Heyerly, Morgan Riegsecker, and Annagail Warrener from Westview Jr-Sr High School, and Arlene Thompson from Lakeland Jr-Sr High School.

The LaGrange County Community Foundation received 33 scholarship applications from students representing all three high schools in LaGrange County. To ensure impartiality, identifying details such as name, school, and gender are removed during the evaluation process.

The Foundation’s Lilly Scholarship Advisory Committee assesses applications based on academic performance, involvement in community and school activities, work experience, leadership, and essay responses. The top five students with the highest scores are then invited to participate in the finalist round.

On Monday, the Community Foundation hosted a scholarship workshop for all finalists, helping them prepare for their upcoming personal interviews. During the workshop, students also completed an impromptu essay, which will contribute to their overall evaluation.

The Lilly Scholarship Advisory Committee will conduct personal interviews with all finalists on October 21. This year, students will also be required to create and present a digital presentation about themselves to share with the committee, marking a new addition to the process. The scores from this finalist round, including the interview and presentation will be combined with their overall application score to determine the 2025 nominees who will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana for final selection of the LaGrange County recipient.

Announcement of the recipient will be made in December. The four remaining finalists will each receive a $4,000 scholarship from the Lambright Leadership Scholarship Fund, established by Kevin and Carrie Lambright of Shipshewana in 2013.

The scholarship program is offered each year by the LaGrange County Community Foundation, and other Indiana community foundations across the state to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 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.

LaGrange County Community Foundation, in collaboration with LaGrange County Trails, is hosting the Big Idea Open House on September 26, from 6-8 p.m. The event will showcase preliminary concepts for the LaGrange County Master Trails Plan, an initiative aimed at enhancing and expanding trail infrastructure throughout LaGrange County.

The Big Idea Open House will be held at the LaGrange County 4-H Fair Community Building, located at 1030 E 075 N, LaGrange. This event offers residents a chance to review and provide feedback on the preliminary goals and objectives that are shaping the future trail network in LaGrange County. Attendees can explore a display detailing the priorities and maps for ongoing trail development, informed by feedback from previous open houses in July and August. The display is expected to take about 30 minutes to explore.

This event marks a pivotal step in the development of the LaGrange County Master Trails Plan, an initiative aimed at enhancing safety, promoting outdoor recreation, and fostering connectivity through planning an expanded and well-designed trails network.  The plan will provide a strategy for developing and expanding multi-use biking and hiking trails. Currently, LaGrange County has seven miles of multi-use trails.

The LaGrange County Community Foundation, supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) Phase VIII, hired HWC Engineering to bring the trails vision to life. The Foundation, in collaboration with LaGrange County Trails, and community stakeholders, is supporting the development of a trails “roadmap” that will enhance the quality of life in LaGrange County and provide a guide for community leaders to improve trail infrastructure and programs.

Big Idea Open House Highlights:

• Preliminary Concept Display: Attendees will have the opportunity to view and provide input on initial design concepts for future trails.
• Format: Guests are welcome to attend at their convenience and stay as long as they wish during the event.
• Interactive Stations: Engage with the HWC Engineering planning team and provide feedback through interactive stations.
• Community Forum: Speak with representatives of LaGrange County Trails and the LaGrange County Community Foundation staff to learn about initiatives to support trail development in LaGrange County.
• Refreshments and Activities: Enjoy complimentary fall refreshments, along with a kid’s activity area.
• Date & Time: September 26, 2024, from 6-8 p.m.
• Location: LaGrange County 4-H Fair Community Building, 1030 E 075 N, LaGrange.

“We are excited to share the preliminary concepts for the Master Trails Plan and gather feedback from the community,” said Octavia Yoder, Executive Director of the LaGrange County Community Foundation. “Support for continued trail development across the county is a key priority in the county’s comprehensive plan and we are committed to helping identify that roadmap.”

“Community input is crucial in ensuring that the Master Trails Plan meets the needs and aspirations of LaGrange County residents. We encourage everyone to join us at the Big Idea Open House and help us shape the future of our trails,” Yoder added.

The LaGrange County Community Foundation encourages all residents to invite their neighbors and share this event within the community.

Jennifer McBride serves as our Office and Scholarship Manager. Her role primarily focuses on the Foundation’s daily operations, greeting visitors, processing donor gifts, coordinating board and committee meetings, as well as managing the Foundation’s scholarship programs.  

McBride holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Trine University. She worked for LaGrange County government for 17 years, and previously worked at the Town of Shipshewana. One of her passions is reaching and serving youth – she has been a dedicated volunteer in church youth group programs for the past several decades.

McBride is a lifelong LaGrange County resident and lives in Howe with her husband, Rick. She has three children and three grandchildren.

McBride volunteered as a scholarship evaluator for the Foundation’s Community Scholarship Program in the past and was eager to dive into her new role this February. She is responsible for building and managing the online applications, promoting opportunities to local youth, coordinating volunteer evaluators, and presenting the final awards to students.

She is excited to be a part of the Community Foundation team.

“My heart is for the people of the community,” McBride said. “I enjoy being able to help others,” she added.

The LaGrange County Community Foundation is a growing nonprofit charitable organization focused on inspiring and sustaining generosity, leadership and service in LaGrange County. The Foundation is seeking to hire an Office and Scholarship Manager and Program Intern. Ideal candidates for these positions would be passionate members of a dynamic team with the goal of growing community assets.

Office and Scholarship Manager Job Summary:

The Office and Scholarship Manager reports directly to the Executive Director. The candidate is responsible for managing office operations, providing administrative support to the LCCF office, and managing the Foundation’s scholarship activities and programs.

Program Intern Job Summary:

The Program Intern will be engaged with a supporting role in the implementation of the Foundation’s grantmaking and scholarship programs. The position will work directly with the Foundation’s Program Director to support grantmaking and scholarship initiatives and community outreach. Open to current college sophomores, junior, seniors and graduate students attending an Indiana college or university.

Application Process

• No phone calls, please.
• Email resume to Octavia Yoder, Executive Director, here.
• Apply by Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

LaGrange Partners, an interagency meeting for nonprofit organizations and entities providing services for LaGrange County residents, will meet February 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Linder’s Tavern on Main in LaGrange.

Partners provides a forum for learning about resources, discussing current issues, networking, and keeping up to date on existing services in LaGrange County.

The meeting is open to nonprofit staff, board members, volunteers and interested community members who want to connect and learn more about the nonprofit sector in LaGrange County.

Meetings are on the second Tuesday of every other month, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Locations vary. The meeting format includes time for lunch, agency announcements, networking, and a featured presentation on a focus topic.

To register for the February LaGrange Partners meeting, click here.

Guests will be able to pre-select a meal. Payment will need to be made directly to Linder’s on the day of the meeting.

To learn more about LaGrange Partners, visit LCCF.net/LaGrangePartners.