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Salem Community Foundation awards more than $100K in scholarships

By MORGAN AHART 3 min read
For the 35th year the annual Salem Community Foundation Scholarship Program has provided direct monetary support to Salem scholars pursuing their post-secondary education. Recipients, from left, rear row, Peter Fowler, Dan Forrider, Makenna Rudy, Aidan Bowyer, David Watson, Luke Davis, Keegan Mayhew, Camden Sampson, Anthony Perry, Landon Jones, Jonathan Kidd, Derek Franklin, and Community Foundation Board of Directors Member Geoff Goll; second row, board member Rick Lutsch, Jillian Pieren, Olivia Palen, Reese Miller, Madelyn Palen, Carter Shepherd, Scott Colian, Micah Fox, Aiden Stecker, Ilani Jones-Wallace, Annika Murray, Community Foundation Treasurer Mark Equizi, Board Member Shane Franks; front row, Community Foundation Secretary George W. S. Hays, Office Assistant Pat Wood, President John Tonti, Julia Stockton, Madison White, Rachel Fowler, Mallory Hudson, Ava Cheeks, Sophie Maniscalco, Maggie Hopple, Katie Jaquette, Lauryn Barton, Kaylee Carlisle, Rylee Hutton, Elizabeth “Ellie” Kidd, and Community Foundation Chief Operating Officer Brittany Maniscalco. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

SALEM -- The Salem Community Foundation has continued its annual tradition of supporting college students within the community, awarding more than $100,000 in financial support to Salem students.

For the 35th year, the community foundation's annual scholarship program is providing direct monetary support to Salem scholars continuing their education at the post-secondary level. This year the scholarship committee was comprised of co-chairs Salem Community Foundation President John Tonti and Salem Community Foundation Chief Operating Officer Brittany Maniscalco, George Hays, Audrey Null, Steve Bailey and Joe Sedzmak.

The foundation awarded $114,850 in scholarships to 45 rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors for the 2025-2026 academic year with each receiving financial awards ranging from $1,600 to $2,400.

Foundation scholarship award recipients included: Madelyn Palen, Landon Jones, Maggie Hopple, Klaire Jaquette, Zoie Reid, Kade Pasco, Owen Spatz, Aiden Stecker, Channing Toy, Anthony Perry, Ava Cheeks, Luke Davis, Jillian Pieren, Elli Kidd, Camden Sampson, Sophie Maniscalco, Derek Franklin, Olivia Knauf and Duquesne University, Carter Shepard, Dave Watson, Madison White, Lance Bailey, Luke DeLand, Kaylee Carlisle, Lauryn Barton, Scott Colian, Rylee Hutton, Keegan Mayhew, Julia Stockton, Jackson Johnson, Ilani Jones-Wallace, Olivia Palen, Gavin Wilms, Rachel Fowler, Mallory Hudson, John Kidd, Kami Rohm, Lainey Haas, Reese Miller, Skyler Green, Annika Murray, Micah Fox, Makenna Rudy and Rylie Troy.

Designed to meet the needs of college sophomores, juniors and seniors whose initial scholarship dollars following high school graduation had been discontinued, scholarship awards are granted through endowment funds including: the Evelyn Lease Fund (1969), the Sam and Bernice Keener Fund (1991), the Salem Community Foundation Scholarship Fund (1991), the Avanell E. Beck Fund (1992), the Lyle and Mary Biehler Fund (1993), the Salem Label/Menegos Fund (1994), the George and Jeannette Emeny Fund (1995), the Betty Ruth Ulicny Fund (1999), the Hart/Litty Fund (2001), the Bruce P. and Eileen J. Gordon Fund (2010), the Herbert J. Hansell Fund (2015), the Vange Firestone Memorial Fund (2016), and the Jacqueline E. Troll Fund (2016).

The Salem Community Foundation Scholarship Fund is itself comprised of 13 principal funds brought together according to the wishes of the donors, including funds from George Theiss, Paul and Olive Astry, J. G. Smith, Zella Litty, Louise Bunn, the Salem Scholarship Fund, Freda Sweitzer Legacy, R. B. McArtor, C. Harold Musser, Ethel Beall, Anna Thomas, F. R. Mathews, Raymond Maurer, Mary Ellen Pizzino, and the Corso family.

In addition to the 45 foundation scholarship recipients, 17 students were selected to receive a $2,000 ministerial scholarship this year for a total of 62 students receiving scholarship dollars from Salem Community Foundation.

Ministerial scholarship recipients included: Aidan Bowyer, Caleb Clyde, Kanton Duvall, Kayla Duvall, Cheyanne Fish, Daniel Forrider, Peter Fowler, Lauren Gessner, Daniel Hardy, Jenney Jackson, Kendra Knight, Christopher Lefever, Jedadiah McCarthy, Debroah Moyer, Brianna Satterfield, Aaron Stratton and Louisa Thomas.

The Ministerial Scholarship Fund was endowed in 2008 by an anonymous donor who recognized the financial impact of a career in the ministry to provide financial assistance to individuals looking to enter the fields of the ministry, Christian education, youth ministry, or a closely related field, that will be spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Salem Community Foundation began in January 1966 as a public charitable trust which continues to work with local partners to improve quality of life in Salem by supporting a wide range of programs, projects, and scholarships in the area. The Scholarship Committee encourages individuals and families to consider making a difference in the lives of deserving college students by endowing a scholarship fund which can be structured to benefit students at any education level or specific college.

To learn more about creating a creating a scholarship fund, contact Brittany Maniscalco at 330-332-4021.

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