Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

Our Vision: A scholarship for every college-bound, graduating senior in 2025

Dinner tickets available now; proceeds to scholarship fund.

BELLE—The vision is a scholarship for every college-bound graduating senior in 2025, and on March 16, the Maries County R-II Schools Foundation will host its fifth annual fundraiser to move closer to that goal.

This year’s event is different than past events, as this year, the group will host a dinner and live auction at the Belle Community Center with the Belle High School FCCLA Chapter preparing the meal.

The fundraiser will be Saturday, March 16. Doors will open at 5 p.m. The buffet dinner will be served from 5:30-6:30 with the live auction beginning at 7 p.m. Dinner will feature beef brisket and chicken parmigiana and a selection of side dishes. The Belle FCCLA, under the instruction of Lana Koelling, will prepare the meal. Dinner tickets are $15 in advance. Advance tickets are required for dinner. A table can be reserved by purchasing eight tickets for $120.

Tickets are available, until March 1, at Mid-America Bank, Legends Bank, Maries County Bank-Belle Branch, the Maries County R-2 Schools Administration building and from foundation members.

The foundation will receive all proceeds from the dinner and live auction.

The live auction will begin at 7 p.m. and will feature a variety of baked goods, gift baskets, collectibles, useful items and services, donated by businesses and community members.

Donations are now being accepted for the live auction. To make a donation, please contact one of the foundation board members: President Jan Sassmann, Vice President Hollis Sturdy, Secretary Tasha Busch, Treasurer Vicki Nelson, Steve Vogt, Mark McClane,  Joey Butler, Craig Thierry and Chris Feeler.

Persons wishing to attend only the auction should arrive at 6:45 p.m.

A popular donation will be auctioned again this, only there will be two opportunities to purchase. Mark McClane is donating two, one-week stays at The Driftwood Inn and Resort, Unit 215-B, Vero Beach, FL. For more details, contact Mark McClane, 949-296-5640. You can view the resort at www.verobeachdriftwood.com.

The Maries County R-II Schools Foundation is part of the Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF), and its scholarship fund is managed by Community Foundation of the Ozarks, of which MRCF is an affiliate. With an endowed scholarship, a portion of the interest earned on those funds provides scholarships for graduating seniors with the principal remaining intact.

Applications for local scholarships are now available from Belle High School Counselor Chris Feeler. Additional scholarship opportunities are available online at cfozarks.org.

In early April, the foundation committee will be reviewing scholarship applications and selecting recipients for the class of 2019. The group already knows there will be more requests than there are scholarships, all the more reason for the annual fundraiser.

The Maries County R-II Schools Foundation is responsible for selecting the recipients of the Maries R-2 School Foundation scholarship, Kaeding-Winter Scholarship, Belle Lions Club Scholarship in memory of David R. Sassmann, the Mae, Grace and George Bacon Scholarship, two Ruth and Gene Ridenhour MD Scholarships, Alan D. and Yvonne L. Skouby Scholarship, the Maries R-2 PTO Scholarship, the Party/Butler Scholarship, the Ted and Edna Leffler Scholarship, and the Schierloh Family Fund Scholarship. These are all scholarships established by families and organizations exclusively for Maries County R-II graduating seniors. Those scholarship endowed funds hold roughly $1.3 million.

Anyone interested in establishing a scholarship in memory of a loved one or wanting to leave part of their estate as a scholarship can contact any board member, or Maria Bancroft at Meramec Regional Community Foundation at 573-265-2993 or by email at mbancroft@meramecregion.org.

Mailing Address:  Maries County R-II Schools Foundation, P.O. Box 819, Belle, MO 65013