Scholarship Funds

Don and Teara Buren Scholarship Fund:  Established in memory of Sara Cottrel, to provide a scholarship for graduating/graduated high school students attending Congress Community Church and/or Northwestern High School. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, high academic achievement, participation in extra/co-curricular activities, and be actively involved in community service and/or part-time employment.   

John W. Landis Scholarship Fund: Available to Wayne County residents who are high school graduates or graduating seniors enrolling in or enrolled in a post secondary education to further their education in certain related fields of agriculture. Preference is to be given to applicants most worthy and deserving of financial aid.                  

Julie and David Mennes Healthcare Scholarship Fund:  Established to assist Wayne County high school graduates and graduating seniors who are enrolling in and/or enrolled in a 2 or 4-year educational institution (including graduate school) that are pursuing a field of study in the medical, healthcare, or wellness professions.                                      

John A. Tooley Scholarship for Developmental Disabilities Fund:  Created to honor the lifelong dedication of John A. Tooley toward children and adults with developmental disabilities, by encouraging Wayne County high school graduates and graduating seniors to pursue a career in Special Education or Developmental Disabilities.          

Field of Interest Funds

Lois Hochstetler Speech - Language Fund:  This fund comprises several opportunities that support speech, language, and hearing fields of interest. It includes continuing education support, assistance to Wayne County school speech-language programs and equipment, and OSLHA (Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association) initiatives that support Wayne County.                      

Designated Funds

Christmas Run Pool Fund: This fund is designated for the sole purpose of assisting the City of Wooster Parks and Recreation Department to operate and maintain Christmas Run Pool.  No support for pool scholarships or participant subsidies are available from this fund.                            

Downtown Beautification Fund: Established for the sole purpose of assisting the City of Wooster to beautify and maintain the downtown Wooster area with enhancements that may include flowers, landscaping, banners, and related maintenance.  No distribution from this fund may be designated for major capital improvements, such as sidewalks, lighting fixtures, etc.      

Oak Hill Park Fund:  This designated fund is to be used solely for the design, construction, and maintenance of the land donated by The Donald and Alice Noble Foundation to the City of Wooster to establish Oak Hill Park.                   

Donor Advised Funds

Corey John Cline Fund: To honor the life of 3-year old Corey John Cline by providing for general charitable purposes with an emphasis on supporting child education and care.     

Triway High School Scholarship Fund: Established to equally help defray educational or participatory expenses for every student in a specific class at Triway High School.

Agency Funds

Jerry Dunlap Memorial Endowment Fund: Established to recognize the 35^th anniversary of the Nuhop Center for Experiential Learning dba "Camp Nuhop" and the contributions of its co-founder, Jerry Dunlap.  The Fund is to provide a consistent financial resource to support its mission of elevating a person's self confidence and self worth.          

Wayne County Historical Society Permanent General Endowment Fund: Created to provide continuing financial support to the WCHS in order to fulfill its mission of preservation and education of Wayne County's history.                                                    

Wayne County Historical Society GAR Permanent Endowment Fund:  Established to provide continuing financial support for the mission of the WCHS based on a prior funding agreement from the GAR Foundation.

Christmas Run Pool Fund

In response to anticipated budget shortfalls, the City of Wooster announced that they would have to close Christmas Run Pool, located in Christmas Run Park, which serves the downtown and southern areas of the city. This would leave only Freedlander Pool in the north end to serve the summer swimming season for the entire city. 

Soon after, The Friends of Christmas Run Pool was formed and got the Mayor to postpone the closing, on the promise that the group would raise $100,000 to keep it open for a couple of years, while a more permanent solution could be found.  Mark Gooch was appointed as the unofficial leader of the group and a fund was established at the WCCF to keep the pool open.

Thus began a series of fundraisers to meet that goalÉ hotdog sales, rummage sales, t-shirt sales, restaurant proceeds, donation tables at various events, and flyers distributed to churches and local businesses.  To keep the momentum moving, several key donors responded with challenge grants, including the special efforts of the Rose family, whose Rose Family Charitable Fund at the WCCF, created a $25,000 challenge.

Approximately 340 donations were received from all walks of life within the community and as of this writing, fundraising efforts are within $7,000 of reaching the goal.

On Sunday, June 4, 2010, Christmas Run Pool was officially opened with a ceremony led by distinguished officials and community leaders that included Mayor Breneman, Jon Rose (Rose Family), J.C. Johnston III (WCCF) and Mark Gooch (Friends of Christmas Run Pool).  In addition, the mayor accepted a challenge from City Council and took a wet slide trip into the pool to garner their donation.

Christmas Run Pool closed the season with several thousand more visits than in previous years. The pool, like the park, is a treasured part of the Wooster community and allows young children and their parents to walk to their recreation.

Corey John Cline Fund

On a snow and ice covered road in February 2009, an SUV carrying Corey Cline slid off the road and overturned.  Corey and the other 3 passengers safely crawled out of the vehicle.  A few minutes later, another vehicle slid on the same patch of road and struck the 3-year old before crashing into the overturned SUV.     

Thus ended the life of what parents, Lauren and Doug describe as "a very loving, energetic little boy who would light up a room with his huge smile and dimples". 

An outpouring of community support and sympathy followed with memorial donations going to The College of Wooster Nursery School.  On the last day of class, Corey's nursery school friends were joined by members of the school's staff, the college, and family to dedicate a star magnolia tree planted in his honor.  In addition, the Scot basketball team came to honor their assistant coach's son.  Classmates and his brother, Joshua "J.J." Cline, placed marbles and handprints in a freshly poured slab of concrete that would become a stepping stone for a memorial children's garden.     

As the Fall basketball schedule was being finalized, an unusual opportunity occurred between the Div-I Kent State University and Div-III College of Wooster basketball teams. After dual NCAA waivers were granted, the KSU team travelled to Wooster to pay tribute to Corey and his family with an exhibition game. All proceeds from the game would benefit the newly established Corey John Cline Fund to support child education and care. Even the referees donated their game paychecks to the fund.

"The kindness and generosity of people we have never even met is overwhelming," said Cline's mother, "and is helping us deal with this tragedy.  We hope the fund grows enough so we can support other children and families," Lauren added.

Jerry Dunlap Memorial Endowment Fund:

Imagine attending a funeral or more aptly called a "Celebration of Life" service, where you are welcomed by a note from the deceased.  It is a note of appreciation, encouragement, love, and compassion for others.  Included in the note is a "Life is Good" sticker, which you are to put in a conspicuous place as a reminder of our blessings and how the world will be a better place through random acts of kindness. 

If you knew Jerry Dunlap, then all this is not hard to imagine, because he led his life as a servant leader filled with great caring for others. 

He was an educator and guidance counselor in the Ashland and Loudonville schools for nearly 30 years, but his belief in helping others went well beyond his profession.  He had the ability to believe in people, even when they didn't believe in themselves. This was especially true of special needs childrenÉ children who are often the last ones to be accepted by their peersÉ children whose self confidence and self worth are very fragile.

Jerry and wife Terrie saw a real need to help children with learning disabilities, attention deficit, and behavioral disorders, so in 1974 they founded Camp Nuhop, pronounced "Nah-op" meaning "new hope".  They touched the hearts of thousands of children with what is affectionately called the Magic of Nuhop, where winning is not as important as stepping out of a comfort zone and just trying.

Upon Jerry's death, an anonymous couple stepped forward with a $100,000 challenge grant to establish a legacy endowment to help keep that Magic alive. It took a year, but through fundraisers and other donors, the challenge was met and the endowment fund was createdÉ because in Jerry's words, Life is Good.

Lois Hochstetler Speech - Language Fund

This fund was established from memorial gifts donated in honor of Lois Rohrer Hochstetler, who passed away on December 29, 2009.  A 1968 graduate of Central Christian High School, she attended Goshen College and received her BS degree from The Ohio State University. She later earned her masters degree in speech and language pathology from the University of Akron. She married Harold J. Hochstetler on Aug. 26, 1978 and was the mother of four sons.

Her inviting smile and genuine interest in others made her an excellent mentor, teacher, and confidant. This trait was very useful in her chosen profession of speech and language pathologist at the Wooster City Schools for over 36 years. In fact, she continued to teach up to just a few weeks before her death.

In her profession, Lois advocated continuing education even prior to it being a requirement for state licensure. Early in her career, she planned and coordinated seminars for Wayne County Speech/Language therapists through the Wayne County Office of Education and the regional special education resource center (SERC).  Most recently, she served as the local liaison to the state supervisory network sharing updates and regulation interpretations with local therapists.

Lois was a member of the Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association (OSLHA) and very active with OSSPEAC (Ohio School Speech Pathology Educational Audiology Coalition), founded in 1994. Most recently, she was an avid supporter of the OSSPEAC study of literacy and the correlation between speech therapy and literacy training.

This field-of-interest fund supports several areas that were very important to Lois, including continuing education, assistance to school speech-language programs and equipment and OSLHA programs that support Wayne County residents.

John W. Landis Scholarship Fund:

Born in Chester Township on April 21, 1888 to William H. Landis and Sarah (Lehman) Landis, John died at the age of 83 on August 23, 1971.  He was a life-long resident of Wayne County.  A few years before his 40^th birthday, John began a 40-year relationship in the floral business, which lasted until the age of 78.  He married Grace Laura Weikel, who preceded him in death in 1949 and they had no children.

His bequest formed the John W. Landis Scholarship Trust to provide financial assistance to Wayne County residents furthering their education beyond the high school level in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, home and farm economics, animal husbandry, soil and water conservation or forestry.

During the time the Trust was in force, it provided numerous scholarships over the years.  In 2009, the Landis Scholarship Trust was terminated and distributed to the Wayne County Community Foundation for future administration.  The 2010 recipient of the John W. Landis Scholarship is Chippewa High School graduate Ashley Hinderer, who is majoring in Floral Design at The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute. 

Julie and David Mennes Healthcare Scholarship Fund

This fund was established by Julie Mennes to support students pursuing a field of study in the medical and wellness professions which her husband, David, served for 35 years.   

In 2002, David passed away after a brave eight-year struggle with cancer. Born in Stoughton, Wisconsin, he was a graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Technology and the Mayo Clinic School of Anesthesia.

During the Vietnam Conflict, David was in the US Navy stationed at Quonset Point Naval Hospital and DaNang Naval Air Support Hospital.

Upon returning in 1969, he and wife Julie moved to Wooster and he spent five years at the Wooster Community Hospital. At the time of his death, David was the owner and president of Wooster Anesthesia Associates Inc. As a skilled C.R.N.A. (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist), he provided anesthesia services to seven area hospitals. 

Julie Ann Tinderholt Mennes, a native of Thompson, Iowa, graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Elementary Education and taught for fifteen years. Currently, as the education and tour coordinator of the Wayne County Historical Society, she enjoys sharing and preserving Wayne County's history with upcoming generations of students who live in a world of cell phones and text messages.   

With their backgrounds in education and medicine, this scholarship really reflects their interests well.  "David would have been so pleased to think that this scholarship can help deserving young students in this field," said Julie. "I'm very happy that the scholarship was accepted so well. The Foundation had 42 students apply for two awards from it this year," she added.

Oak Hill Park Fund

The Donald and Alice Noble Foundation purchased 100 acres of farmland on the crest of Oak Hill to preserve it from further residential development.  Using an Ohio Public Works Commission Clean Ohio grant, the land was acquired by the City of Wooster and the Noble Foundation donated the receipts of that acquisition to the Wayne County Community Foundation to establish the Oak Hill Park Fund.  This designated fund is to be used solely for the design, construction, and maintenance of the park.

When completed, the park will have over 1.7 miles of paved paths for walking, jogging, or biking, as well as natural plantings designed for year-round color.  The park's path will be able to be linked into the other paths along the city's northern corridor, creating nearly eight miles of walking and biking trails. 

With a donation from the Rotary Club of Wooster, the park will include a large pavilion near its entrance.  In addition to community gatherings, the pavilion will be used as an education center for seminars, displays, and demonstrations of eco-friendly usages of pollinator planting, rain gardens, and other naturally symbiotic projects that can be duplicated in a home and yard setting.

With another donation by Joan and Gene Buehler, the park will also include a quarter-mile level trail near the pavilion geared for people who may not have the time or ability to use the longer and hillier terrain.  This level path will help handicapped individuals safely use wheelchairs and walkers to enjoy the surrounding flora.

The park's beautiful vistas and sloping elevations make it ideal for winter recreation like cross country skiing and sledding.  In fact, the park will contain the City's first official sledding hill and is another example of community collaboration, at many levels within the private and public sectors, to continue to enhance the quality of life for all members of the community.

John A. Tooley Scholarship for Developmental Disabilities Fund

Ever wonder where people with developmental disabilities find support to improve their quality of life?  Who supports their education, employment, residential, social, and transportation needs?

Beginning in 1955 and named for Ida Sue Fishelson (daughter of Joseph and Julia Fishelson) and Nick Amster (grandfather of Ida Sue), those support services have evolved into today's Wayne County Board of Developmental Disabilities (WCBDD).

Ida Sue School provides educational and developmental services for children from birth through graduation, while the Nick Amster Workshop provides vocational employment and training for adults.

Throughout its 55-year existence, four superintendents have spearheaded these services. In honor and recognition of John A. Tooley and his dedication to improving the lives of those with special needs and developmental disabilities, the WCBDD created this scholarship to encourage and support students to pursue careers in this field.

Growing up in Mt. Kisco (NY), John spent many of his formative years working with children and adults in his community. Throughout his high school years, he would often spend parts of his weekends caring for children with special needs.  Early on, he found his lifelong role of advocating for the needs of individuals who could not advocate for themselves.

Majoring in special education, John graduated from Ashland University, taught junior high, and became the principal of Dale Roy School in Ashland. In 1980, he moved to Wooster as a service coordinator at Ida Sue School/Nick Amster Workshop and then became the WCBDD assistant superintendent. He went on to further his education at Akron University and returned in 2000 as the WCBDD Superintendent until his retirement in July 2010.

The WCCF applauds John for making a significant impact on helping enrich the quality of life for these special people.

Triway High School Scholarship Fund

Forty years ago the graduating class of 1969 gave Triway High School the gift of trees that now line their driveway. In honor of their 40^th reunion, they thought it would be fitting to plant another type of seed to leave a lasting gift. The class has established a unique scholarship fund that will benefit all students, regardless of their academic achievements.

Unlike most traditional scholarships that are awarded to only a few deserving students, this fund will be utilized to help every student in a class at Triway High School. A different class will be chosen each year and the distribution to that specific class will be determined on an annual basis by a committee made up of classmates and staff of the school.

The hope is to equally defray at least one expense for each student in the designated class.  This expense may include educational and/or participatory fees. "For example, currently every senior has a $15.00 fee and until that fee is paid, the student may not even receive a grade card or graduate," said Sandy Noletti, co-chair for establishing this fund. "Once the fund has enough money for distributions, it could pay all or part of that $15.00 expense for every student."

The class of 1969 provided the seed money for this fund and they are challenging all other graduating classes to contribute as well. 

Wayne County Historical Society Funds

In 1904, Andrew Carnegie, the founder of U.S. Steel and literacy philanthropist, donated funds to build a library in Wooster. George Swartz presented his collection of early household utensils to the new library.  Along with donations from C.C. Parsons, Dr. Joseph Todd, and James Mullins, these items formed a museum collection that was housed on the second floor of the library. 

Swartz, then president of what is now The Wooster Brush Co., served as curator until his death in 1925, at which time Alvin Rich was appointed curator. Upon Rich's death, a group of interested residents formed the Wayne County Historical Society (WCHS), which was incorporated on December 21, 1954.

Through a generous donation from The College of Wooster, the Beall House, which had been converted into a women's dormitory, Bowman Hall, was acquired by the WCHS in 1955. Within a few years, Beall House was renovated and the WCHS moved to its current location on Bowman Street.

Dramatic changes occurred to the site over the next 50 years that included the acquisition of a pre-Civil War log cabin, an 1873 Wooster Township #3 Schoolhouse, the 1880's Fredericksburg General Store, a carriage building, an enlarged replica of Relief #4 Fire Station the construction and multiple expansions of the Kister building, and greater renovation of the Beall House.

This all volunteer Society depends entirely on donations, fundraisers, and admission fees including the investment income from two permanently endowed funds that were recently donated to the Wayne County Foundation.  With your help, they can continue to educate future generations about this area's fascinating heritage.