Two scholarships aimed at vocational education and the medical field — and the inaugural presentation from a big endowment that will help generations of Houston High School seniors — will be made later this year, the Houston Community Foundation announced this week.
The application period begins Feb. 1 for scholarships that could total as much as $21,200.
It’s the second year the group has focused on presenting scholarships aimed at work skills and healthcare. A $600 presentation will be made in each category. Students from county high schools are eligible.
A $5,000 John and Naomi Montgomery Scholarship will be presented for the first time at Houston High School graduation. If the first recipient meets guidelines, it is renewable annually for the next three years.
The Montgomery estate made the donation that will result in numerous scholarships. In the next four years, it is expected more than $65,000 will be awarded. A certain percentage of the core donation — $627,462 — will be available each year to distribute in scholarships at Houston High School. With investment growth, eventually it will support additional scholarships in the years to come. It is the largest single donation ever made to strength the community.
The Montgomery family endowment nearly doubled the current assets of the local foundation, which has holdings from various organizations of about $1.2 million that will be used to benefit Houston’s progress. It is one of 49 affiliates of Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
Students wanting to apply can go to cfozarks.org/scholarships beginning Feb. 1 In addition to these, other scholarship opportunities also are available. There are more than 400 scholarships on the website, and $1.6 million will be awarded. Students also can check with their school’s guidance department.
Persons wanting to learn more can contact: Ross Richardson, Rob Harrington, Omanez Fockler, Brad Gentry, Kristin Hart, Cynthia Ramsey, Jarid Scheets, Heather Sponsler and Parke Stevens Jr.
Joe Kammerer is central regional manager of Ozarks of Community Foundation of the Ozarks. He can be contacted at 417-256-4725 or jkammerer@cfozarks.org.
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is a public foundation serving the Missouri Ozarks. Since 1973, Community Foundation of the Ozarks has grown to include 49 affiliate foundations, including Houston, and non-profit partners. It provides fund management, grantmaking, scholarships and leadership programs.
Meeting last week, the Houston Community Foundation signaled it would also seek two grants to benefit Houston through the Community Foundation of The Ozarks. One would assist the Texas County Food Pantry and the other would allow the city’s Village Trail to connect with North Grand Avenue from the Brushy Creek arm of the trail.