2021 Scholarship Awards
Mary Ellen Withrow is one of the most notable women in Marion County– having served as Treasurer at the local, state, and national levels of government over the course of her illustrious career– and is committed to supporting those who may follow in her footsteps.
Beyond these famous accolades, Withrow is passionate about helping young women. In 2015, she created a scholarship fund at Marion Community Foundation and, since then, has awarded scholarships to exceptional female students pursuing careers in finance, political science, government, and related fields.
Withrow and her daughters are actively involved in the selection process for the Mary Ellen Withrow Scholarship at Marion Community Foundation. This year, the Withrow scholarship recipient was Elgin High School senior Ashley Watkins, an exceptional student involved in everything from golf to music to student council. Watkins is headed to Ohio State in Columbus, where she will major in political science with an emphasis in pre-law.
The fact that Withrow made her first foray into public service on the Elgin School Board is not lost on Watkins –many years before her time, but still an example Watkins admires and wants to emulate.
Cynthia Schneider is a two-time past recipient of the Mary Ellen Withrow Scholarship. This year, she is the recipient of the Norman Withrow Golf Scholarship, which honors Mary Ellen’s late husband who passed recently. Norman’s scholarship supports student golfers and recognizes a sport in which he excelled and greatly enjoyed.
Schneider is the Elgin alumna who spearheaded the establishment of a golf team at her high school. She is in her senior year at The Ohio State University, majoring in English and planning a career in creative and professional writing.
Having met Mary Ellen through Marion Community Foundation’s student organization, Youth Engaged in Philanthropy, Schneider said, “I was so impressed by her. We talked about ambition and achieving goals as women. I have never forgotten the advice she gave me.”
“Mary Ellen is something of a regular at Marion Community Foundation,” said President and CEO Dean Jacob. “Young women like Ashley and Cynthia are the true intent of her scholarship. She wants to encourage people to be educated, become involved in the politics of this country, and to run for office and do a good job. Supporting as many promising young women as possible is part of this vision, as is making regular gifts to increase her fund.”
Withrow’s fund has benefited from strong market growth in the latter half of 2020. Her fund, along with the 375+ charitable funds at Marion Community Foundation, has collectively grown in value by $10 million in the past six months, due to strong stock market gains, the Foundation’s prudent Investment Policy, and generous donors, noted Jacob.
The Withrow scholarships are among 132 such funds at Marion Community Foundation. Watkins and Schneider are among 209 recipients of the 2021 scholarship awards. This year’s recipients include 101 high school seniors and 108 college students, representing 12 area high schools and more than 40 colleges and universities. The total awarded is just over $481,000 with an average award of $2,203 per student. A complete list of the 2021 recipients and their awards is available by clicking HERE.
