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$41,000 in scholarships awarded to 17 students

Awards given throughout La Salle, Bureau, Putnam, Grundy counties region

Starved Rock Country Community Foundation awarded more than $41,000 in scholarships to 17 students at a reception Sunday in Ottawa.

The event was emceed by Pamela Beckett, who founded the organization in 2015 with her husband, Chuck.

“We are pleased to honor scholarship recipients and the generosity of local donors who care deeply enough to invest in the education of local youth,” Beckett said.

Scholarships and recipients include:

The $5,000 Rising Star Scholarship established by retired Ottawa and Marseilles elementary school teacher Ethel McConnell went to Maggie McDonald of Seneca. The daughter of Mark and Carrie McDonald will pursue degrees in early childhood education and elementary education at Illinois State

University.

The $10,000 Mac-Aero Scholarship for Aeronautics and Aviation, also established by McConnell, went to Lily

Starved Rock State Park to host Junior Ranger Day on July 29

Shaw Local News Network

Junior Ranger Day will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 29, at Starved Rock State Park.

There will be more than 15 stations to visit along the main trail behind the visitor center with handouts, information, games and activities suitable for families with children ages 5 through 13.

This is a free event and all children who participate will earn their Junior Ranger Badge. All Illinois Department of Natural Resources/state park programs are free but donations to the Starved Rock Foundation on site are welcome. Most programs at the park are made possible through funding from donations to the Starved Rock Foundation, the nonprofit friends group at the park. Starved Rock State Park is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The mission of the IDNR is to manage, conserve and protect Illinois’ natural, recreational and cultural resources, further the public’s understanding and appreciation of those resources, and promote the education, science and public safety of Illinois’ natural resources for present and future generations.

Ann Keutzer of Princeton. The daughter of Steve and Michelle Keutzer plans to major in professional aviation flight technology at Indiana State University.

The award honors Ethel’s husband, Ed, a farmer, veteran, and owner of MacAero in Seneca, where he rebuilt and repaired light planes.

The Carol and Dick Janko Scholarship for Promising Entrepreneurs awarded $7,500 total to four students: Madelyn Torrance of Granville, Jacksen Ortgiesen of Dixon, Isabella Caciatorri of Spring Valley and Grace Carroll of Ottawa. Madelyn, the daughter of Dean and Theresa Torrance, will study chemical engineering at Auburn University. Jacksen, the son of Shawn and Angie Ortgiesen, will major in business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Isabella, the daughter of Justin and Amy Cacciatori, will major in interior design and minor in construction management at ISU. And Grace, the daughter of Doug and Paula Carroll, will major in interior design, architecture and business at ISU.

The Advantech Internet of Things (IoT) Scholarship for Science, Engineering and Technology, awarded a pair of

See SCHOLARSHIPS on page 8

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