Chamber Foundation Scholarship Recipients Announced

Adult Scholarship recipients are, left to right, Maria Hille, Lee Hardiek, Logan Blankenship and Sarah Schabbing.

The Chamber Foundation of Effingham County celebrated the recipients of the 2021 Chamber Foundation Community Scholarships at the Annual Scholarship Sponsor and Recipient Luncheon on Friday, June 4 at the Keller Convention Center.  

A new scholarship for 2021 was the Jack Graham Scholarship, which is named after the late Jack Graham, a local entrepreneur. Two $1,000 scholarships were awarded in his name to those who are going into healthcare, childcare, or a vocational trade. The Foundation awarded twelve total scholarships for both adults and graduating high school seniors. 

Six recipients were awarded Exclusive Scholarships awarded by area businesses.  

The recipients of the J & J Ventures Gaming LLC Exclusive Scholarships are Allison McDevitt of Effingham, Lee Hardiek of Teutopolis, Tate Niebrugge of Effingham, and Maria Hille of Effingham. McDevitt attends Lake Land College studying Business Administration; Hardiek attends Indiana State University studying Electronic Engineering; Niebrugge attends Missouri State University studying Financial Planning; Hille attends Greenville College studying Elementary Education.  

The HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital Exclusive Scholarship was awarded to Emily Bloemer of Dieterich High School. Bloemer will be attending Lake Land College to pursue her degree in Nursing.  

The recipient of the Siemer Milling Company Exclusive Scholarship is Logan Blankenship of Teutopolis. Blankenship attends Kaskaskia College with plans to attend Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville to pursue her degree in Nursing.  

The recipients of the Jack Graham Exclusive Scholarships were awarded to Abby Goeckner from Altamont High School and Ellie Waymoth from Effingham High School. Goeckner will be attending Lake Land College and Lewis & Clark Community College to pursue a degree as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. Waymoth will be attending Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to pursue a degree in Nursing.  

The Chamber Foundation Community Scholarships awarded are funded by area business. The recipients who received  these scholarships were Jenna Kremer of Teutopolis High School; Isabella Kronewitter of Effingham High School. Kremer  plans to attend Eastern Illinois University or Illinois State University studying Elementary Education with a Music Minor. Kronewitter plans to attend Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville pursuing a degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Adult scholarship recipients are Madeline Thoele of Effingham who attends University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign  majoring in BioEngineering and Sarah Schabbing of Teutopolis who attends Eastern Illinois University in the Curriculum & Instruction with Reading Option field. 

All 2021 sponsors of the Chamber Foundation Community Scholarship Program were recognized during the luncheon. In addition to the Exclusive Sponsors, special recognition was given to the Platinum sponsors: B & L Machine and Design; John Boos & Co.; Koerner Distributor Inc.; & Whitney Roofing.

The Chamber Community Scholarship Program has awarded $234,000 to 201 area residents over the last 22 years. The scholarship program is a members-only benefit and solely offered to Chamber members (in good standing), their employees, and their families. 

To learn more about the Chamber Foundation Scholarship Fund or becoming a sponsor, please contact the Effingham County Chamber at 217-342-4147.

High School Senior Scholarship recipients are, left to right, Jenna Kremer, Emily Bloemer, Abby Goeckner, Isabella Kronewitter and Ellie Waymoth.