Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne Announces 2022 Allen County Lilly Endowment Community Scholars
December 21, 2021 – Fort Wayne, IN – The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne is pleased to announce the five recipients of the 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Allen County. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership. In order to be eligible, Allen County students have to demonstrate successfully overcoming an obstacle, as well as show financial need, academic performance, and community involvement and provide a personal statement of goals.
The students chosen as the 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for Allen County are:
Phu Le from Carroll High School
Emily Clough from South Side High School
Elay Htoo from North Side High School
Gabriel Vargas from Wayne High School
Taygen Marlow from New Tech Academy at Wayne
“These past two years have been incredibly challenging for everyone and these young students have persevered not only through the ongoing pandemic, but through unimaginable life altering circumstances throughout their lifetime. Their grit, determination and positive attitude has been inspirational. I’m looking forward to following them during their academic journey and ultimately their positive impact in wherever they call home. We express our appreciation and gratitude to Lilly Endowment and Independent Colleges of Indiana for providing this very generous support,” remarked Brad Little, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides 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 eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects scholars with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI).
The class of 2022 will be the 25th cohort of Lilly Endowment Community Scholars! More than 5,000 fulltuition scholarships have been awarded and over $439M in scholarship tuition has been provided since the program was created for 1998-1999 school year. This year 75 Allen County students applied, 27 finalists were reviewed by the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Selection Committee at the Community Foundation. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, nominees were submitted to the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, ICI, for the selection of scholarship recipients.
The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are: 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts MEDIA RELEASE 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. Photos and videos of the Allen County 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars can be found on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CFGFW
For nearly 100 years, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne has been a public charitable foundation serving Allen County since 1922. The Community Foundation had assets of approximately $183 million at December 31, 2020 and awarded more than $7.9 million in charitable grants and scholarships in that year. The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne does three things: help people make their charitable giving more impactful, connect funding to nonprofits through effective grantmaking, and provide leadership to address community needs to improve quality of life. Every day we connect people and resources to build a more vibrant community.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment. Founded in 1948, ICI serves as the collective voice for the state’s 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates, and ICI institutions produce 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees while enrolling 20 percent of its undergraduates.