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Elburn Scholarship Endowment Fund

Established 2023

This fund was established to honor the goals of Ms. Julia Morris. It was the fruition of a dream she shared with her husband, Charles Lee Morris. The scholarship is awarded to students who will be graduating or who have graduated from Kaneland High School. Eligible students must be attending a public institution in Illinois and be able to demonstrate involvement in extracurricular activities and service to their community and school.

Mrs. Morris was born Julia Elizabeth Callis in Syracuse, NY. She received her teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin and began her career at Elburn Community High School. She became associated with the community theater group called Elburn Players and, for 15 years, was its director. In Elburn, Julia met Charles Lee Morris and they married in 1928. She gave up teaching shortly after her marriage. During the 1938-39 school year, she taught 5th and 6th grades at Elburn Elementary School. During WWII, she was pressed into service teaching English and French at the high school where she also coached drama and speech. When Kaneland High School opened, she began teaching again. When her husband died Mrs. Morris returned to her studies and earned a master’s degree in library science at NIU. She held the position of Reference Librarian in Glen Ellyn until her retirement in 1970. Julia Morris founded the Girl Scout Troop in Elburn, and she helped found the Fortnightly Literary Club. She served 25 years on the Elburn Library Board and the Red Cross Board of Directors. In 1985, Mrs. Morris established the Elburn Scholarship Fund, the fruition of a dream she shared with her husband.

The scholarship is awarded to students who will be graduating or have graduated from Kaneland High School. Eligible students must be attending a public institution in Illinois and be able to demonstrate involvement in extracurricular activities and service to their community and school.

 

YEP has made me realize the importance of being involved in my community, and how to make a difference. There are a lot of problems in the world but if we can do everything that we can to help the world will become a better place. YEP has helped me realize this and encouraged me to help more people in the future.

Madi Porter

YEP Member

YEP was a great experience to have in high school. I became a more confident person, someone with a lot more perspective. Coming from a small school, YEP allowed me to branch out into my community, meet students from other schools, and learn about their backgrounds. I made some great friends and still keep in touch with them today.

Abby Vagnoni

YEP Alumni

I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Zari Foundation Scholarship and the Community Foundation in supporting my education. I am majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology. In my spare time, I volunteer on campus, in the community and I’m also the principal violist in the symphony orchestra. I hope to make an impact on the next chapter of space exploration by eventually working at a groundbreaking aerospace company such as SpaceX or NASA.

Taytum Newell

Albert M. Zari Scholarship Recipient

Grant funds from the Community Foundation helped provide updated technology. These upgrades were transformative. By creating new time saving processes, it turned us into a more efficient organization.

Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry

Grantee

Being a part of the Community Foundation scholarship committee is the highlight of my year. For many, a scholarship from the CFFRV is the reason they are able to continue reaching for their dreams and changing the future of our world. I hope each recipients knows just how inspirational they are to those of us who are lucky enough to read their stories.

Jessica Breugelmans

Scholarship Committee Member and Board Member

Education is important to us. We support causes that touch our lives and align with our values. We believe in paying it forward. We are here for a short time,, and it is the next generation that will take on what we leave behind.

Michelle Emanuel

Donor and Past Scholarship Recipient

Give your gift of time and see what it means to the people you impact. Helping others is what life is all about.

Neal Ormond

Donor & Fund Advisor

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

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