(Top row, L-R) Kaylie Allred, Madison Blacker, Audra Breer, Zoe Bridges, Dawn Cameron, Alyssa Cunningham
(Middle row, L-R) Reilly Durham, Maria Dust, Sean French, Alexander Hartke, Taylor Hartke, Courtney Hoene
(Bottom row, L-R) Lauren Jakubowski, Fred O’Bryan, Jacob Swan, Renee Tillman, Tara Torres, Olivia Witteborg
Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation is pleased to announce the 2018 recipients of the Ray, Mary, and Tim Niebrugge Scholarship. Scholarships totaling $40,000 have been awarded to 18 students:
Altamont High School – Dawn Cameron (1992), Renee Tillman (2014); Beecher City High School – Olivia Witteborg (2018); Effingham High School – Kaylie Allred (2018), Madison Blacker (2018), Zoe Bridges (2018), Alyssa Cunningham (2017), Reilly Durham (2018), Maria Dust (2018), Sean French (2015), Lauren Jakubowski (2018), Fred O’Bryan (2018), Jacob Swan (2018), Tara Torres (2017); Teutopolis High School – Audra Breer (2017), Alexander Hartke (2017), Taylor Hartke (2017), and Courtney Hoene (2018).
The Ray, Mary and Tim Niebrugge Scholarship was established by Tim Niebrugge, the son of Ray and Mary Niebrugge of Green Creek. Ray Niebrugge inherited a tract of land from his father, John, and continued reinvesting in the farm for more than 40 years. Tim farmed the ground after his parents passed away until his own death on September 22, 2006. Tim was never married and had no children. Tim established this trust to help Effingham County students with financial need continue their education. The Niebrugge Farm is the first gift of farmland through the Community Foundation’s Fields of Opportunity program. Fields of Opportunity puts the Community Foundation in a unique position to receive and retain gifts of farmland and use the available income to benefit local charities that make the community a stronger and better place to live. Retaining local ownership of farmland means wealth generated stays with local tenants, circulating throughout the community.
The fund has awarded $303,000 in scholarships over the past nine years. The Fields of Opportunity program will ensure that scholarship funds will continue to be made in perpetuity.
