Lilly Scholarship awarded to Megan King of Corydon
The Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) is pleased to announce Megan King of Corydon Central High School as the recipient of the 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Harrison County. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.
“I’ve always had a drive to try new things,” said King. “I have found that the most valuable thing in my life are memories, so I am constantly finding ways to push myself out of my comfort zone and gain new experiences. For me, a huge part of this has been possible by getting involved in my community and school through different clubs and organizations.”
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years. The scholarship is for full-time undergraduate students leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects both current scholars and alumni with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and Indiana Humanities.
King has sought to pursue a career in the dental field since her fifth-grade career fair, and she plans to choose which college she will attend soon. “Receiving the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship has changed my life because I no longer have financial obstacles preventing me from achieving my goals,” King remarked. “I am incredibly grateful for everyone who has helped me grow throughout my life so far.”
In August, Harrison County senior high school students began applying for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. Fifty-five applications were received for this year. In determining Harrison County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, six applicants from throughout the county were interviewed by a volunteer committee of four former HCCF board members in October. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, nominees were submitted to ICI, the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which approves the final selection of scholarship
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-99 school year and has supported the program every year since with grants totaling in excess of $505 million. More than 5,200 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception.
The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are: 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.
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Harrison County Community Foundation was founded in 1996 by the Harrison County Commissioners, with an initial donation from Caesars Southern Indiana. HCCF’s mission is to inspire and assist everyone in experiencing philanthropy, producing positive and sustainable growth in Harrison County. To date, HCCF has awarded over $120 million in grants, scholarships, and other support to Harrison County nonprofits and residents.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment. Founded in 1948, ICI serves as the collective voice for the state’s 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates, and ICI institutions produce 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees while enrolling 20 percent of its undergraduates.