New ECCF scholarship funds offer more opportunities for students
Several new scholarship funds were established this past year at the Elk County Community Foundation. ECCF offers donors the opportunity to create funds to make their own philanthropic impact in the community. Donors can choose from a variety of fund types including scholarship, donor advised, designated, and agency endowment. ECCF administers a total of 122 scholarship funds in Elk County. These five scholarships funds are among those newly created in 202324.
Tyler Bender established the Tyler Bender EMS Scholarship Fund. This young man recently graduated from the Center for Emergency Medicine and felt compelled to give back by starting a scholarship to encourage other individuals to consider the EMS field. Tyler hopes the scholarship will help attract individuals to this field and help answer the constant demand for well-trained and qualified EMS professionals.
The Leo and Margaret Blumle Scholarship Fund was established by Leo’s brother, Charles Blumle, to satisfy the couple’s final wishes to help students from Cameron County pursue a higher education. Leo and Margaret placed a high emphasis on family, church, and service. During their life they lived in many places, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania before moving to Virginia. After Margaret’s death Leo decided to move back to Emporium, PA where he was born. The Blumle legacy will live on in the form of this scholarship for Cameron County students.
The Donn Elizabeth Walker Munz Memorial Scholarship Fund was created by her family and friends. Donn was a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School Class of 1996 and passed away on October 29, 2021. Honoring the faith that guided Donn and knowing the value and impact of her relationships and friendships she experienced at ECCHS, it was the family’s desire to establish a fund in her memory. The award will be given to a current ECCHS student who exhibits the qualities that Donn possessed.
The Staff Sgt. Carl Enis Military Scholarship Fund honors Carl Enis who died at the age of 31 in a helicopter incident on the Syrian Iraq border and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. With ties to the McKean County area, Enis visited family often and loved the outdoors in Pennsylvania. As a Pararescueman in the United States Airforce, he lived by the Pararescue Creed: “These things we do, that others may live.” To honor Enis, they renamed the Tally Ho Bridge in the Kinzua Creek region on Route 219 as the Staff
Sgt. Carl Enis Memorial Bridge. This scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior at McKean, Cameron, Potter or Elk County High Schools or an adult learner. Adults must be a member of the National Guard, reserves, active duty in any branch of the service. Adults or high school seniors may be enrolled in the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC). Must be serving under honorable conditions.
The Kelley Hritz Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to honor the memory of Kelley (Musselman) Hritz. Kelley moved to St. Marys in 2006 with her husband and son after graduating from high school in New Paris, and the Pittsburgh Technical Institute with a degree in Graphic Design. During her time in St. Marys, she worked in the areas of serving people with disabilities, quality management, home healthcare, and banking. But as an artist at heart, she loved music, theater, poetry, drawing and painting. Kelley’s scholarship is open to a high school senior from Elk, McKean, Cameron Counties, and Chestnut Ridge High School in New Paris, PA. Kelley’s love for the arts will live on through this scholarship, helping future artists to create amazing and beautiful things. The scholarship is open to high school seniors from Elk, McKean, Cameron
Counties, and Chestnut Ridge High School in New Paris, PA
Students can apply for these scholarships and many more by logging onto the Foundation website at www. elkcountyfoundation.org. The Elk County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the
Northern Alleghenies, is a non-profit grantmaking organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in our geographic area by working with philanthropic donors to help them meet their charitable goals. For more information, contact the Community Foundation at 814-8342125.