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Dr. David
and Alvena VanMeter
Anyone can make a real and lasting
difference in the daily life of their community, but not everyone
devotes their entire lives to making that difference.
Dr. David and Alvena VanMeter are a
couple who have devoted much of their adult lives to doing for others
and the community. Even while maintaining a busy veterinary
practice and raising four daughters (their only son was killed in a
tragic bicycle mishap near their home in 1970), the VanMeters have
always spent numerous hours volunteering for their church and other
charitable endeavors. My father told me, "David, where ever you
go, leave the place a better place than you found it." The VanMeters
have certainly lived up to that challenge. During the past 33
years the VanMeters have given their time to this community, and now
they are returning some of their resources to ensure that their spirit
of giving will last forever. In December of 1993, David and
Alvena created a Charitable Remainder Unitrust naming the NCCF as the
final beneficiary. In this type of trust a designated percentage
of the generated income will go to the donors' named beneficiaries. At the end of the trust
(this one is for 20 years) the entire principle will go to the NCCF to
be divided between the VanMeter Scholarship Fund and two Field of
Interest Funds. These funds are endowment funds in the
Foundation so the income will "forever" benefit people in Noble
County.
In appreciation for the VanMeter's years
of community services, the Albion Rotary club started an endowment
scholarship fund in their honor. The Club with the help of many
donors on behalf of the VanMeters and other future donors will forever
help a worthy Noble County student pursue the dream of higher
education. The VanMeters' legacy of caring will be continued
through these charitable funds.
Meet Jack and Joan Robinson of Albion
From many sources Robinsons build
a scholarship fund.
Ever since John E. "Jack" and Joan E. Robinson established a
scholarship fund with the community foundation in 1997 in memory of
their deceased son, William, they have been building it the way some
resourceful birds incorporate bits of just about anything into their
nests.
The proceeds of catered dinners have gone into the fund, as have
earnings from tutoring done by Joan, a retired teacher.
The Robinsons have given many donations to the fund as memorials or
honorariums and had others do the same, with honorariums in
recognition of such things as birthdays and dedicated service to
church.
On Saturday, June 16, 2001 the Robinsons celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary and asked that any gifts be to the scholarship fund.
Several dozen donations were received.
Jack, a retired law
enforcement officer, and Joan have also talked up the fund at every
opportunity and taken advantage of matches made available by the
foundation and through the Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Several non-traditional scholarships of about $500 each for area
residents pursuing any sort of post-high-school education were awarded
from the fund for the first time in 2002.
Meet Dr.
Robert and Lura Stone of Ligonier
 Scholarships
were awarded through the Noble County Community Foundation for the
first time in 1993, after administration of the Susan Marie Stone
Memorial Scholarship and the Clarence and Marie Woolf Medical
Scholarship were transferred to the foundation in 1992. The 1993
Susan Marie Stone Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Amy Wigent of
rural Ligonier. "It was very, very helpful," says Wigent, who
received $1,000 in each of four years from the scholarship while
majoring in elementary education at Anderson University.
In order for the scholarship to renew each year she had to maintain a
B or better grade average and "that gave me a goal to keep up," says
Wigent, who graduated with a 3.83 average out of a possible 4.0 and is
now in her fourth year of teaching in the Jay County School
Corporation.
Pictured is Amy Wigent, center, was among the first students to
receive a scholarship through the Noble County Community Foundation
and, during a visit to Ligonier, is shown with benefactors Dr. Robert
and Lura Stone.
The Lolita J.
Hornett Memorial Nursing Scholarship
 In
May of 1999 following the death of Lolita J. Hornett, Lolita's family
started a scholarship fund for Noble County residents interested in
pursuing a career as a registered nurse.
In announcing the scholarship, Mrs. Hornett's husband said, "At the
time of her death the entire family wanted to do something that was
positive and would memorialize her dedication to the nursing
profession in perpetuity. The programs of the Noble County
Community Foundation gave us the vehicle to make this possible, and
the gifts received from family, friends and the community turned our
dream into a reality. Our family has found tremendous solace in
working on this scholarship effort, and local students will reap the
benefit of Lolita's life and work for years to come."
Cla rence
and Marie Woolf Memorial Scholarship
A childless couple left a legacy making sure deserving East Noble High
School graduates get the chance to realize their dreams for the
benefit of generations to come.
Mr. Woolf died on October 12, 1972 and Marie Woolf was 87 when she
died on May 28, 1991. She inherited money from her sister
Maybelle Moon.
An Ohio native, Marie came to Kendallville and she and Clarence were
married on October 6, 1931. Clarence was born and raised in
Kendallville.
For many years they lived at 10 Clyde Street near East Noble High
School. Clarence was a mechanic who owned a garage at the corner
of U.S. 6 and main Street for many years.
The couple owned several rental properties during the Depression and
when their renters lost their jobs, they always worked something out
so the people could stay.
 Woodward
W. (Woody) and Lucy B. Weeks Memorial Fund
A very special gift for Noble House, a
shelter for homeless women and children located in Albion was made
possible by Mrs. Lucy B. Weeks. Mrs. Weeks created the Woodward
W. (Woody) and Lucy B. Weeks Memorial Fund in 1997 to provide an
annual income for Noble House.
"I truly thank the Lord for all He has provided for our family," said
Mrs. Weeks. "Now we are able to help the community."
Mrs. Week's gift was matched dollar-for-dollar by the Dekko Foundation
located in Kendallville. Interest from this endowment fund will
provide about one-month of operating capital each year for Noble
House.
This was not the first time Mrs. Weeks had provided financial
assistance for Noble House. Her first gift was received before
Noble House even had a checking account opened.
Pictured above is Lucy B. Weeks with her nephew Kay Truelove.
 Fred
and Mildred Seymoure (Young) Memorial Scholarship Fund
Fred and Mildred Seymoure lived in the Albion area during their 33
years of marriage. Fred was born on the Seymoure farm 3 miles
south of Albion. His parents were Homer and Alice Seymoure.
Mildred was born to Fred and Inez Shroyer in LaGrange County and lived
in South Milford. Fred was a farmer for most of his life.
When other farmers were in need, he organized people to help. He was a
person of his word and well respected in the community. Fred was
Past Master of the Albion Masonic Lodge. He was a graduate of
Albion high school and played varsity basketball. A sister Mary
Rollins lives in Wolf lake and another sister Barbara Wilcoxson lives
in Florida. A brother Keith and an older sister Eva are
deceased.
Mildred graduated from Kendallville high school and attended
Manchester College. She later finished her BS degree from St.
Francis college. She taught 1st grade in Wolf Lake and 2nd grade
in Albion. Mildred was well liked and gave freely of her time to
the community. Mildred played the organ at the Albion
Presbyterian Church and the Church of Christ at Stroh. She was a
member of the Albion Study Club and Noble and Steuben County retired
teachers. After Fred died in 1972, Mildred married Bion Young a
dairy farmer of Steuben County. Bion died in March 2000 and
Mildred passed away on September 15, 2001.
Fred and Mildred had 3 children (husband Larry Leffel), David (wife
Carol) and Catherine. They have 4 grandsons, 2 great grandsons
and 5 great granddaughters. Fred and Mildred greatly valued
education and had a strong work ethic. They were very
encouraging and supportive of others in pursuing advanced degrees.
The children of Fred and Mildred established the Fred and Mildred
Seymoure (Young) Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of their parents.
The scholarship will benefit one applicant with a $250 scholarship
going to a Central Noble High School senior or graduate or a person
living in the Albion area who is pursuing a BS or MS degree in
education.
 The
Wawaka Alumni Scholarship Fund
At the annual meeting of the Wawaka Alumni Association on June 7th,
1986, the Wawaka Alumni Scholarship Fund was established. The
Alumni Association felt this was a way to carry on the traditions of
the standard of education and values received at Wawaka High School.
This scholarship is awarded to a West Noble graduate who resides in
Elkhart Township. The award is based on appropriate GPA and SAT
scores for advanced schooling, and on financial need for assistance.
In June 2004 the funds for this scholarship were placed in an
endowment fund at the Noble County Community Foundation. This
endowment will enable the Alumni Association to have the scholarship
continue at such time as it may no longer be meeting.
From 1988 thru 2005 they have given scholarships to 20 students.
Fourteen of the recipients are children of Wawaka Alumni and many of
these are the third and fourth generation of these families in our
community.
Those who have completed their post secondary goals include a
veterinarian, a nurse who is in charge of the Emergency Room of the
new Parkview Noble Hospital and helped design the ER, a young woman
using her business degree in management of inventory control for a
national firm, a young man in dental school, several serving in the
field of education, and several in the business field.
Watch for more
stories to come!
Noble County Community Foundation, Inc.
1599 Lincolnway South, Ligonier IN 46767
Phone: 260-894-3335
Fax: 260-894-9020
Email: nccf@ligtel.com
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