Each year, charitable funds at the DeKalb County Community Foundation generate scholarship awards ranging from $250-$9,500 for graduating seniors of local DeKalb County high schools. This year alone, 87 scholarship awards were presented, totaling $104,475. These awards come from a variety of funds, each being unique in the eligibility criteria and the story behind the fund creation.

According to Grants Director Tiffany McQueen Lewis, “the Community Foundation manages more than 70 charitable funds awarding scholarships. Through this partnership with donors and educational institutions, we are giving gifts of education.” A full listing of scholarship funds is found online.

2019 Scholarship Award Statistics for DeKalb County:

• DeKalb High School – 51 awards totaling $50,525
• Sycamore High School – 31 awards totaling $48,575
• Genoa-Kingston High School – 3 awards totaling $1,375
• Indian Creek High School – 4 awards totaling $3,400
• Somonauk High School – 1 award of $600

One of the many awards given was the Rhoda Johnson Memorial Scholarship to a deserving student at Sycamore High School. Recipient Jared Carlson followed up with a thank you note to the donor stating, “Thank you for helping me pursue my dream of being a teacher. This scholarship helps me immensely and I will be forever grateful. Thank you!”

Administration for the majority of these scholarship awards is done within local high schools. Students are encouraged to contact their high school Counseling Department with questions or for application information.

If giving the gift of education is of interest to you, consider making a donation to an existing scholarship fund at dekalbccf.org/donate or by mail to the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178. For questions or additional information on scholarships, please contact Grants Director Tiffany McQueen Lewis at 815-748-5383 or tiffany@dekalbccf.org.

Pictured above: DeKalb High School graduate Allison Lawler shares a moment with donor Carol Widerberg onstage as she receives the Gregory B. Widerberg Memorial Scholarship award during the May 15, 2019 senior awards night.