Meet our last 2021 scholarship highlight, Adyn Bower! 

Adyn is a 2021 Graduate of Colon High School where she was in Drama Club, Spanish Club, Varsity Club, Key Club, and was a 5 sport athlete for all 4 years. She played volleyball, basketball, softball, track, and rode on the equestrian team for Colon High School. Adyn attended the Branch Area Careers Center Criminal Justice Program for 2 years while in high school and loved every minute of her time there. This sparked her desire to become a Michigan State Trooper upon completion of her college career. Adyn has always been very active in her community. She is a member of the Colon Grange, Mendon United Methodist Church, and the Colon Community Fire and Rescue Department. Her involvement in these organizations has molded her into the community minded individual that she is today. 4H has also played a huge role in the person she has become.  She has shown multiple species of livestock at St Joseph County Grange Fair, and Horses at the Branch County Fair for going on 9 years. She is attending Glen Oaks Community College in the fall, pursuing an Associate's Degree in Business while playing on the Viking's Women's Volleyball Team. She plans on transferring to Western Michigan University after Glen Oaks to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Upon completion of her college career, she hopes to be accepted into the Michigan State Police Academy and become an MSP Trooper. Even with her busy schedule and community organizations, Adyn finds time to do things she enjoys such as hunting, fishing, kayaking, and especially spending time with family and her friends.

Congratulations, Adyn, and congratulations to all of our 2021 scholarship recipients! For a full list of this year's recipients, visit the scholarships page on our website!

Our next scholarship highlight is Ciarra Hardy! Ciarra is a 2019 Bronson Jr./Sr. High School graduate. During high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society and a local 4-H group where she took part in many community service projects. Ciarra also played on the girl's varsity tennis team all four years of high school. She participated in the dual enrollment program through Glen Oaks Community College her junior and senior years. In May of 2020, she received her Associate's degree from Glen Oaks. Ciarra now attends Grand Valley State University where she just completed her first year and is majoring in Elementary Education.

Congratulations, Ciarra!

Today's Scholarship Highlight is Madison Ratkowski! Madison is a 2021 graduate of Bronson Jr/Sr High School. She participated in many sports at Bronson including volleyball, basketball, softball, and competitive cheer. She has also been involved in 4-H for many years, showing rabbits and starter calves. Her future plans are to become a Registered Nurse. She plans to attend Kellogg Community College for two years and then transfer to Western Michigan University to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. 

Congratulations, Madison!

Our next scholarship highlight is Nolan Nohr! Nolan is a graduate of Quincy High School, where he enjoyed playing soccer, running hurdles and 4x400 in track, and performing on stage. He started performing as a fourth grader with Tibbits Young Audiences, and continued to grow as an actor in the Quincy Drama Society. He has invested in rural youth ministry by mentoring middle school boys as part of the Lead Team at Crossroads Farm in Reading, MI. Nolan is spending the summer on staff at Hiawatha Youth Camp in the upper peninsula. In August, he is excited to attend Hillsdale College to continue his learning in liberal arts through theatre and public speaking.

​Congratulations, Nolan!

Today's scholarship highlight is Kaitlyn Colyer! Kaitlyn is a 2018 Coldwater High School graduate entering her fourth and final year at the University of Michigan. She is studying Organizational Studies with an emphasis on organizational misconduct and minors in Public Policy, Spanish, and Music. Outside of her studies, she is a rank leader of the Michigan Marching Band's piccolo section, Co-President of Ann Arbor's chapter of Take Back the Night, and a color guard performer in the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. This year, she will pursue an Honors thesis at the intersection of her two interests: organizational misconduct in marching arts ensembles. After college, Kaitlyn hopes to attend law school at Georgetown University to study family law.

​Congratulations, Kaitlyn!

Meet today's scholarship highlight, Anna Ramsey! Anna is a 2021 Bronson High School graduate who is attending Kellogg Community College in the Fall to study Early Education. She plans to attend KCC for two years and then transfer to Trine University to further pursue a career in early education. Her experience in the classroom has helped her become more successful as she continues working towards her degree and career goal of being a teacher. She loves being with the younger kids and being able to influence their learning. She has been on the honor roll every year of High School and is a very hard-working student.

Congratulations, Anna!

Meet our next scholarship highlight, Jada Fair! ​Jada is a 2021 graduate of Bronson High School. She will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall to study Nursing. Through 4-H, which she has participated in since she was a child, she realized her passion for making the world a better place and giving service to others. All of the qualities she has gained from 4-H will carry on into her nursing career. She plans to minor in Global Health and study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, as part of Michigan’s Reproductive Health International Experience. She hopes to become a Certified Nurse Midwife in the future. She is still involved in the Cransonettes and Jets 4-H club and enjoys spending her free time working with her animals, spending time with her dogs, friends, and family before heading off to college.

Congratulations, Jada!

​Today’s scholarship highlight is Michael Richer! Michael is a 2021 graduate of Quincy High School. He is one of three Academic Senior Scholars in his class and is a member of the National Honors Society. Michael will be attending Trine University in the fall to study Electrical Engineering. He was able to take dual enrollment classes at Trine during his Junior and Senior year and obtain his CompTIA A+ certification through the Computer and Networking Technology program at BACC his Junior year. Michael was active in Youth in Government, ASTRA, Green Club, Drama Society and Business Professions of America. He also assisted in several community projects with the Quincy Rotary Club. Michael’s dream is to be a world changer. He is an entrepreneur at heart and wants to own his own business in the future. He wants to build things that will make people’s lives better. Michael’s favorite quote is one said by Albert Einstein; “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.”
 
Congratulations, Michael!

The Branch County Community Foundation’s 2021 Community Good Grant Cycle is coming up! Grant funding proposals will be accepted in August for projects and programs that support Branch County and Colon.

In 2020, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Community Foundation was thrilled to be able to fully or partially fund projects and programs that applied for funding through the Community Good Grant Cycle totaling $35,000. A few of the organizations who received funding include the Children’s Museum of Branch County for their Everbright Exhibit, Tibbits Opera Foundation for new sound and lighting equipment, the South Michigan Food Bank for a Fresh Food Initiative at Bronson Schools, and Michigan WDI to help remove barriers to employment. Funding for the 2020 recipients came from the Foundation’s Forever Fund, as well as a few Donor Advised funds held at the Foundation. 

Grant applications for the Community Good Grant Cycle will be accepted from August 1 through August 31, 2021, for projects and programs that directly benefit Branch County or Colon. For more information on qualifications and to apply, visit the Community Foundation’s website at www.BrCoFoundation.org or call the office at 517.278.4517.