The Foundation’s 25th Anniversary year closed on a high note with more than $650,000 pumped into new and existing endowed funds, projects and programs that benefit the region. Our theme for 2014 was “invest in” and, thanks to tremendous support from donors, project partners, and grantors who invested in local communities, the future of our region is stronger and brighter.
This year Common Threads articles will feature stories about donors – large and small, in-kind and otherwise. We will highlight those who are making a difference through their commitment to community.
This month we salute members of the Tucker County High School Class of 2000 who have reenergized an effort to build the endowment they established in memory of classmates, and high school seniors, Jillian Roberts and Matilde Villalobos who were killed in an automobile accident September 20, 1999.
The accident that took their lives was a defining moment for the Class of 2000. Rather than spend money on a class trip, they voted unanimously to establish the Jillian Roberts and Matilde Villalobos Millennium Scholarship Fund using money they had raised for a class trip. The class of 1999 contributed money from their class treasury and donations from the general public helped build the fund.
This fall, under the direction of Liz Beall Gregory, Team Millennium raised $2,385 through the Run For It program to add to the Fund. Donations from Daniel & Randa Rumer, Sam & Amy Goughnour, Amanda Cassiday, Krista Baumgardner, Diane Rader, and Diane & Ronnie Beall helped the team leverage additional support through awards. With this success there is renewed interest in the Millennium Fund.
The scholarship fund is as much a testament to the friendship, leadership and impact of two classmates as it is a legacy of the Class of 2000.
“The fact that a group of 17 year old students had the vision and wherewithal to endow a fund made a lasting impression on the TCF board of directors and our peers around the state who continue to reference the TCHS Class of 2000 as an example of the best of local philanthropy.” Nancy Dotson, TCF Board of Directors
In 2014, the same road that claimed the lives of Jillian and Tilde, claimed the life of Jacob Roberts (Jillian’s brother). At the family’s request, donations in his honor and memory were made to the Millennium Fund by Marvin (Bud) and Jane Parsons, Lois & Terry Nelson, Tammy & Randy Carr, Tucker County Four-Wheelers, Inc., and George & Mariwyn Smith.
The Jillian Roberts and Matilde Villalobos Millennium Scholarship Fund provides an annual scholarship to a graduating Tucker County High School senior attending an accredited college or university who has shown leadership potential in the school and/or community.
For more information on the Millennium Fund, or any endowed fund, contact the Tucker Community Foundation at 304-478-2930 or 259-5008.