OCCF awards $146,450 to students

The Owen County Community Foundation (OCCF) proudly presented 63 scholarship awards at the 2025 Scholarship Celebration Program at Owen Valley High School on Sunday, April 27.

Made possible by the generosity of our donors, OCCF awarded a record $146,450 in scholarships to graduating seniors and postsecondary students. $115,200 was awarded to 29 Owen Valley, Cascade, Edgewood, Tabernacle Christian and homeschooled high school seniors, and $31,250 was awarded to 13 postsecondary students, who are attending college at Indiana University – Bloomington, Indiana University – Columbus, Indiana State University, Ivy Tech Community College and Purdue University.

In addition to those scholarship recipients, the 2025 Owen County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship winner, Vishwa Patel, will receive full tuition for Purdue University, where she plans to study Mechanical Engineering. She will also have the honor of having her name added to the permanent Owen County Lilly Endowment Community Scholar plaque displayed at OVHS.

Each year, emotions are high as students who have worked so hard to achieve academic excellence walk to the stage to receive their scholarship award; however, this year was an especially touching event. Tristan Calvin's parents, Richard & Koreena Calvin, and his twin sister, Trinity, presented the Tristan Calvin Memorial Scholarship as a tribute to their beloved son and brother, who had his life cut short in 2023 before beginning his senior year at OVHS.

OCCF's largest scholarship, the Morgan L. Drescher Family Scholarship, awards $40,000 over four years and was made possible by a bequest from Joanne Drescher Caudill in honor of her father and family. The Dick (Mr. Dar) & Sue Dyar Scholarship was presented in memory of long-time educator, entrepreneur and community pillar, Dick Dyar.

And the Babbs Supermarket Scholarship was presented in memory of Charlie Hamilton, who dedicated more than 50 years of his life to his career at Babbs and serving the Owen County community. Once available, you will be able to view photos from Sunday's event on the Owen County Community Foundation Facebook page and on our website, owencountycf.org/students.

This year, one scholarship was presented for the first time, the Robert & Barbara Stanley Bonness Future Elementary Educator Scholarship. This scholarship was established in 2024 by Barbara Bonness and is awarded to an OVHS graduating senior who plans to pursue a degree in elementary education.

Many scholarships have different eligibility requirements; however, one element remains the same – they make higher education more accessible and affordable for Owen County students. The complete list of scholarships awarded this year is listed below.

Seniors of the next graduating class can look forward to the kick-off of their scholarship season this fall. Follow OCCF on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with scholarship announcements coming later this summer; these will also be posted on their website.

OCCF thanks all of the generous donors, OVHS for using its facilities, Cassie Britton our caterer, Casey Shively our program photographer and all our guest presenters and OCCF volunteers who made this program possible.

About the Owen County Community Foundation

The Owen County Community Foundation (OCCF) is a public charity founded in 1994 as a resource to connect caring individuals with causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. Since its founding, the OCCF has been able to grant more than $12.3 million to local students, area nonprofits and charitable organizations in our community.

The OCCF is committed to enhancing the quality of life for all citizens of Owen County, now and for generations to come. For more information on the scholarships awarded or how to begin your own philanthropic journey, please visit owencountycf.org, call 812-829-1725, or stop by our office located on the Courthouse Square at 60 E. Market St., Spencer.

A full list of scholarship winners will be available at theowennews.org.