Two Rivers Crimestoppers has announced a scholarship opportunity for students of Calhoun, Greene, and Jersey County who want to go into the health care field or law enforcement. Brenda Schulte of Two Rivers Crimestoppers says that the scholarship has a family connection to her: “My husband and I wanted to figure out something we could do for the youth in our community through Crimestoppers. We lost my mother-in-law, my husband’s mother Bertha [Schulte] in 2005 suddenly. No one knew she was sick. She hadn’t been sick. She just passed away one morning. Then, my daughter-in-law, her mother Lorna Hagen, suffered from breast cancer for a year and she just passed away this past June. We wanted to do something meaningful in their memory, along with helping out possibly an under-privileged youth that may not have the money to go to college. We donated $100 in Lorna’s memory during her funeral to Two Rivers Crimestoppers to establish a scholarship fund. Then, I had a birthday fundraiser on Facebook to cover the other $200 so that we could implement the scholarship fund.”
Schulte says the Lorna Hagen and Bertha Schulte Memorial Scholarship will be an annual scholarship financed by the families and given through the Two Rivers Crimestoppers organization for any student going into law enforcement or the medical field. Schulte says that the reason the medical field was added was because of a personal connection, as well. “We chose the medical field, which can include physical therapy, becoming a paramedic, doctor, or nursing due to the fact that Bertha dealt with diabetes and Lorna was a registered nurse with the Jersey County Health Department.”
Schulte says the other restriction is that the student cannot be a relative of anyone who currently sits on the Two Rivers Crimestoppers board in Calhoun, Greene, or Jersey counties. She said that the scholarship can be used at any institution of the student’s choosing who receives the scholarship as long as it falls within the parameters of the medical field or law enforcement. Applications for the scholarship will begin being accepted on January 1st and the winner will be selected by the committee on March 1st next year.
Schulte says it will be a standard application followed by an essay. Anyone interested in receiving more information about the scholarship can contact the Two Rivers Crimestoppers by mail at PO Box 333 Hardin Illinois 62047 or contact Schulte at 618-556-9110.