CLINTON COUNTY STUDENT EARNS FULL-TUITION SCHOLARSHIP THROUGH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Four 2021 Lilly Endowment Inc. Community Scholar finalists earn $1,000 renewable scholarships

December 9, 2020 -- Clinton Central Jr./Sr. High School student Fife Deck will receive four-year full tuition to an accredited public or private nonprofit Indiana university as the Clinton County Community Foundation 2021 Lilly Endowment Inc. Community Scholar.

Fife, son of Kimberly Deck and the late Michael Deck, also earns a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.

He is a member of the National Honor Society and serves on the student council. He volunteers with the Foreign Language Club and is active in varsity golf, swimming and diving, football, cross country and the hockey club. In the community, he has worked with underprivileged kids through Coach Kids, Youth Wise and his church youth group. He has volunteered with the Knights of Columbus and was involved with Future Farmers of America.

Fife plans to study engineering at Notre Dame University.

About the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program

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 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.

Including the 24th cohort, 4,912 Indiana high school students have received more than $424 million in scholarship tuition through the LECSP since the program’s inception in 1998. With the 2020 awards, 39 Clinton County residents have received the scholarship, representing an approximate value of $2.8 million.

The selection criteria identified by the Clinton County Community Foundation included academic achievement; school, community and work activities; essay; financial need; potential for success; and an interview. Thirty-two Clinton County students applied for the scholarship. A committee of volunteers evaluated the applications and selected five finalists who were interviewed by the Clinton County Community Foundation board and Scholarship Committee.

“The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship allows students to be able to focus on academics and not finances, which is especially important given the challenges and the sacrifices students have made this year,” said Bob Thorley, chairman of the Clinton County Community Foundation Services Committee. “It is our hope that the students remain in Indiana and participate in the communities where they reside.”

The finalists' names were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) for the selection of the recipient. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.

The Foundation recognized the achievements of the other four finalists with $1,000 renewable scholarships for a total of $4,000. They include Odalis Campos, Frankfort High School; Karina Castaneda, Frankfort High School; Kylee Maish, Clinton Prairie High School; and Owen Smith, Clinton Central High School.

The Clinton County Community Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization created in 1996. The mission of the Foundation is to improve the quality of life of the community through the accumulation and stewardship of enduring charitable gifts. For details about making a charitable gift or establishing a permanent endowment fund to benefit a charitable organization or interest in Clinton County, please contact the Community Foundation at (800) 964-0508 or visit the Web site at www.cfclinton.org.