Scholarships awarded to 252 students

A total of 252 scholarship recipients and the donors who made their awards possible gathered Thursday night at the annual Illinois Valley Community College Foundation Scholarship Recognition event.

Before an audience of friends and family, recipients collected certificates acknowledging their award and met and talked with the donors who made them possible. In all, nearly 400 people attended the event.

The scholarships amount to $400,000 and represent 173 funds or donors. Some scholarships are awarded to students pursuing specific programs or activities here or transferring in specific programs to universities, while others support recipients’ community college careers.

The event acknowledges donors and students and “celebrates the commitment of our community to assist students who might not otherwise be able to attend,” said Foundation Executive Director Tracy Beattie. “This is a wonderful program that I hope to continue to expand and create more awareness about.”

Beattie, who was attending her first reception since her appointment to the position, added: “It was a wonderful evening! I was delighted to meet so many donors and students, and the scholarship stories were so heartfelt. I love that the students were able to make a personal connection to their givers.”

The new scholarship year begins in a few weeks. Applications for the 2024-25 scholarship year open Dec. 8 and applications are due Feb. 8, 2024. Learn more by visiting the foundation website https://www.ivcc.edu/foundation/foundationscholarshipshome.php.

Beattie encourages students and prospective students to research scholarship availability and consider applying. She also invites community members to take a unique opportunity to honor their own history or memorialize a loved one. “Education is truly one of the greatest gifts, and IVCC offers a very personal and meaningful opportunity to anyone that might want to create a scholarship in memory of someone, in honor of a career or trade, or just to uplift a student.”

Questions can be directed to Beattie at tracy_beattie@ivcc.edu.