May 26, 2015 (Woodstock, Virginia)
Graduates from Shenandoah County High Schools will have more scholarship awards this year thanks to the generosity of local citizens who stepped up to create new scholarship funds at each of the County’s high schools.
Stonewall Jackson High School will award a scholarship which honors former Mayor Joe Williams thanks to the hard work and generosity of local teacher Karen Fansler-Ryan, who created the Joe Williams Fund at the Shenandoah Community Foundation with money earned from her catering business.
“Ms. Fansler-Ryan has been supporting Stonewall Jackson High School with scholarship money directly for quite some time,” according to Foundation Program Coordinator, Jeanne Russell. “Her dedication in creating a business to support her philanthropic goals is so inspiring. She came to us after she decided to create a fund that would provide scholarships every year in honor of former Mayor Joe Williams.”
On the central campus, Central High School alumnus Tracy Miller and her husband, Rick stepped up to create the Central High School Alumni Scholarship to encourage and support Central High Graduates for years to come. The hope is that Alumni will donate to this scholarship as part of their reunion celebrations.
In addition, friends and family of the late Bonnie B. Gochenour, who taught English at Central High School for over 30 years, created a scholarship as a testament to her wonderful contributions to her students and community. This scholarship will be awarded to a CHS graduate with an interest in English, English Literature, Education, or Creative Writing.
Finally, at the North end of the County the Shenandoah Community Foundation has established the Curtis Willey Warrior Scholarship Fund for graduates of Strasburg High School. This scholarship honors Curtis Willey who perished in a swimming accident in 2011. Curtis was a Marine who served in Operation Desert Storm, a fitness enthusiast and a graduate of Strasburg High School. This scholarship will be awarded to a student who exhibits Willey’s characteristics of tenacity and friendliness. His friend, Mario Ordonez with sisters Carla Scott and Crystal Keller set up this fund from proceeds of their annual Warrior Dash fund raiser.
“We are so gratified by the citizens of Shenandoah County who consistently come forward to support and improve our community in so many ways,” said Foundation President, Jeff Dalke.
The Shenandoah Community Foundation has awarded over $825,000 in scholarships since 2008 and continues to expand their scholarship pool each year because Shenandoah County Citizens care. The Shenandoah Community Foundation’s mission is to help individuals and groups give multigenerational financial aid to causes that matter to them. We help donors to make their dreams for this community come true. For more information, contact us at scfound@shentel.net or call (540) 459-7737. Or visit our website: www.ShenandoahCF.org.