Hancock County Community Foundation Education Funds

Long-time supporters of Imagination Library, Bert and Irene Curry chose honor all members of their family through the establishment of a named fund.  Income from the endowment assures that children will receive age-appropriate books, that are delivered monthly to their home and in their very own name, in perpetuity.

This fund provides immediate funds to the Eastern Hancock Education Foundation to support projects and programs benefiting the students of Eastern Hancock Schools.

The Eastern Hancock Education Foundation Endowment provides long-term operating support to further the organization’s mission of providing charitable funding for educational activities that are beyond the scope and financial ability of Eastern Hancock School Corporation.

Dan and Becky Riley created the Achievement Fund to provide support to the Greenfield Central School Foundation for the benefit of G-CHS Academic Academies, including Bio-Medical Academy, PLTW (Project Lead the Way) Engineering Academy, and any future established G-CHS Academy.

The Greenfield Central School Foundation, Inc. Endowment provides operating support to further the organization’s mission to provide funding for educational activities that are beyond the scope and financial ability of the Greenfield-Central School Corporation.

Established by George and Dorothy Link in honor of Dorothy’s parents, this fund provides income to Hancock County High School libraries for the purchase of books, software, and educational multi-media to enhance student learning.

Established by the Homemakers, this fund provides support for programs for continuing education, volunteer community support, and leadership development.

Donald and Lois Hanson were married in 1950. During their 47 years of marriage, they raised ten children, all of whom live across the United States. Home could have been identified in any number of places since Donald and Lois were born in the Midwest and traveled the world during Donald’s career with the Army. Fortunately, Colonel Donald Hanson retired from the Army and made his and Lois’ permanent home in Hancock County. Donald started and owned a successful business and seven of their children graduated from Mt. Vernon High School. Donald passed away in 1997 and Lois knew that he would have approved of establishing a fund at the Community Foundation.

Lois first established the Donald F. and Lois M. Hanson Family Endowment Fund in 2008. Its defined purpose reflected her and her late husband’s desire to provide support for educational attainment initiatives such as literacy enrichment programs and family strengthening services such as retreats and recreation opportunities. In 2015, Lois learned that HCCF had identified the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library as the  program to address kindergarten readiness improvement efforts in Hancock County.   Imagination Library provides accessibility to literacy materials through the delivery of quality age-appropriate books that are delivered monthly to the home of enrolled Hancock County children.  Since Don and Lois practiced  spending quality time with their children by reading to them regularly, the Imagination Library program spoke to Lois’ heart.  She revised the Donald F. and Lois M. Hanson Family Endowment fund agreement, designating it specifically for the purpose of funding books for pre-school aged children.  “I love this program!” shares Lois.

Lois inspires her family by continuing a tradition of organizing retreats that bring together her children, 27 grandchildren, and 24 great grandchildren from all over the United States.

Imagination Library is a preschool literacy program available to Hancock County children beginning at birth. Your contribution assures that local children have access to a free library of 60 age appropriate books, delivered to their home on a monthly basis, until their first day of kindergarten assuring they arrive ready to learn and poised for a life of educational attainment.

Scott and Karen Kleine established this fund to honor their family. This gift benefits early childhood education in the form of the Imagination Library program for Hancock County children.

This fund provides operating support to Leaders in Navigating Knowledge (LINK) to help people plan, prepare, and pay for post-secondary education credentials.

Sandy and Bernie established this fund in honor of their grandchildren Mason Miller, Coleman and Carson Codalata. The fund celebrates their family by supporting Imagination Library, a program that equips Hancock County children from birth to five, the tools they need to successfully start learning on their very first day of kindergarten.

The last thing an educational organization needs is to worry about how a classroom teacher will be able to purchase the important items needed for a stimulating educational project. Mt. Vernon Education Foundation supports the students and teachers of Mt. Vernon Schools in grades K-12 by raising funds to award teacher grants for classroom or grade-level projects as well as school corporation-wide initiatives. They support all areas of academics, the arts, citizenship, cultural awareness, athletics, healthy lifestyles, technology and more. This wonderful fund provides a healthy line item to the organization’s annual budget.

This fund, established by an anonymous donor, provides support to the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation for elementary education efforts. Grants are administered by the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation for school-wide reading programs, tutoring, and teacher grants for classroom projects and supplies.

Audrey named HCCF as beneficiary of her Individual Retirement Account. The remainder benefits Zion Lutheran School for student tuition assistance, library books, educational programming, and capital improvements.

Established by the Purdue Club of Hancock County, the fund provides grants to Purdue University for the purpose of providing scholarship support to graduating seniors who are residents of Hancock County. The income from this fund is administered in conjunction with Purdue University’s Purdue Promise Program combining federal, work-study, and state funding.

This operating fund provides support to further the organization’s mission of providing funding for educational activities that are beyond the scope and financial ability of Southern Hancock School Corporation.

Bob and Karen Tarver established this fund in honor of their son, Matt, his wife Meg, and their children Alice and Kyle. The fund perpetuates the couple’s love of learning by supporting Imagination Library, a program that equips Hancock County children from birth to five, the tools they need to successfully start learning on their very first day of kindergarten.

Established in honor of Bill Weil, this fund provides support to Imagination Library, an early childhood literacy program, that equips Hancock County children with the tools they need to successfully start learning on their very first day of kindergarten. Income from the endowment assures that children will receive age-appropriate books, that are delivered monthly to their home and in their very own name, in perpetuity.

“If I were ever to retire, I thought I’d like to have a wood shop that makes sawdust and wood chips,” Bob said with a smile. Given his schedule of starting the day at 6 a.m. in his Fountaintown Gas Co., Inc. office, retirement is not likely to happen anytime soon. Now 88 years old, Bob continues to contribute to the success of the company he founded, but the road to doing so was not an easy one.

Born in Westland in Hancock County, Bob was raised and has lived his life in Morristown of Shelby County. After graduating from Morristown High School in 1949 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. In 1953, he assumed the family mechanical, electrical and appliance business.

In 1957, Bob married Sue Myer. Sue, a secretary at General Electric, left her job to join Bob in the business, and with her bookkeeping expertise, it began to grow. At the same time, the oil business was still in full swing, and Bob became a Marathon distributor of heating fuel, farm fuel and lubricant products.

In 1966, Bob said, “I got the crazy idea that small towns needed natural gas to survive. It was the only way they could attract new business and industry.”
With that, Bob expanded his business once again, and Fountaintown Gas Company was born.  South Eastern Indiana Natural Gas Co. was added in 1981. The first winter two customers were served. Today the public utility serves 23 communities in seven counties.

“Of all of the different things that I have done, I never knew what I was doing and wasn’t smart enough to know I didn’t know what I was doing,” laughed Bob.
On June 24, 2015, Bob lost his helpmate and wife of almost 58 years. The Wortmans have contributed humbly and quietly to Morristown’s vibrancy.  “I’d be nothing without the people of my community. They’ve done so much for my family and my business over the years,” he said.

Morristown is not the only benefactor. Numerous charities in Hancock and Shelby counties have gratefully been on the receiving end of Bob and Sue’s generosity.
A believer in endowment, Bob has established several funds at both the Hancock County Community Foundation and the Blue River Community Foundation in Shelby County.  In fact, it was his creation of the most recent endowment fund to benefit the Imagination Library Program that allowed HCCF to get to the finish line of its $2 million endowment goal.

Bob has been honored with the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, The Distinguished Hoosier award from The State of Indiana and is a 33^rd degree Mason. He is a past commander of the American Legion, a member of the Marine Corp League, and past president of Morristown High School Alumni Association and PTA. He currently serves as a board member of Shelby County Senior Services, Shelby County Library Foundation, the Hancock Health Foundation and Ohio Valley Gas Corporation boards. Bob is credited for bringing Rock Steady Boxing to Shelby and Hancock counties and the Dolly Parton Imaginary Library to Shelby County. His generosity and love for Sue has supported the sustainability of both Hancock Health’s Sue Ann Wortman Cancer Center and Major Health Partner’s Sue Ann Wortman Nephrology Center.

“Everything I give will stay in Shelby and Hancock counties. These communities have made it possible for me to help others me.”

 

Established by Zion Lutheran School Alumni, this fund will provide perpetual support to Zion Lutheran School to assist with student tuition, capital improvements, and other operating needs as deemed necessary.