Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas

Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas The Community Foundation serves the region by promoting charitable giving to benefit the common good and improve quality of life.

Founded in 2001 by a group of citizens interested in encouraging philanthropy and strengthening local communities, the Community Foundation has awarded over $29 million in grants through its donor-advised, unrestricted, designated, field-of-interest, scholarship, and organizational-endowment funds. It is one of more than 780 community foundations in the country and is a member of the Council on Foundations and the Kansas Association of Community Foundations.

Next up in our scholarship recognition series is the William H. Zimmer Memorial Scholarship.William H. Zimmer was a life...
06/12/2026

Next up in our scholarship recognition series is the William H. Zimmer Memorial Scholarship.

William H. Zimmer was a lifelong educator, working as a teacher and librarian in Minnesota, Wyoming, and Kansas. He served as the librarian for the Erie and Thayer High Schools from 1982 until he retired in 1995.

Andi Nordt - Erie High School - Allen Community College
Grant Reissig - Erie High School - Cowley College
Jaylee Kramer - Erie High School - Labette Community College
Raegan Holbert - Erie High School - Labette Community College

Congrats to you all!

Next up in our scholarship recognitions is the Vinylplex/Sanderson Pipe Scholarship.Bill Coleman was a proponent of educ...
06/12/2026

Next up in our scholarship recognitions is the Vinylplex/Sanderson Pipe Scholarship.

Bill Coleman was a proponent of education and his community. As the former President of Vinylplex, Inc., he established the Vinylplex/Sanderson Pipe Scholarship Fund to encourage and support the children of Vinylplex/Sanderson Pipe employees and students residing in the Pittsburg area to pursue postsecondary education.

This year's recipients are:

Ania Brown - Pittsburg Community Schools USD 250 - Pittsburg State University
Elijah McCubbin - Frontenac School District - The University of Kansas
Scott Sloan - Frontenac High School - Pittsburg State University

Congrats to you all!

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the VetLinks.org Brian Kavanagh PSU Clin. Spych Grad/Master's Social Work ...
06/11/2026

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the VetLinks.org Brian Kavanagh PSU Clin. Spych Grad/Master's Social Work Scholarship and the VetLinks.org Brian Kavanagh PSU ROTC Scholarship.

Brian Kavanagh was raised in Pittsburg, Kansas, and attended St. Mary's Colgan Catholic Schools from kindergarten through high school, where he formed lifelong friendships and left a lasting impression on everyone he met. Brian was funny, friendly, very curious about the world, and passionate about making an impact. Brian went to Pittsburg State University and joined ROTC. Brian served in the Army from June 1997 to July 1997 and from October 2002 to November 2012. Brian had a successful military career as an Army Ranger and was promoted to Major. He served combat deployments in 2006 and 2008.

In 2011, Brian married Jessica, and they had two daughters, Meryn and Evelyn. After his discharge from the military, Brian gradually experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury that progressed and eventually began to interfere with his ability to transition to civilian life successfully. Through this long and painful struggle, Brian conceptualized a non-profit organization dedicated to linking combat veterans to the resources and services that the Department of Veterans Affairs was not providing. Before Brian could complete his mission, he died unexpectedly on June 28, 2016. After his death, his wife enlisted his friends to continue his legacy and make VetLinks.org a reality.

VetLinks.org offers a scholarship to PSU students to support Brian’s legacy further. Brian was a proud Pitt State alum and understood the importance of giving as many people as possible access to higher education. By offering this funding, the VetLinks.org Board would like to honor Brian’s insatiable curiosity and love of learning.

This year's recipients are:

VetLinks.org PSU Clin. Psych/Social Work Scholarship:
Keatyn O'Dell - Northeast USD 246 - Pittsburg State University

PSU ROTC Scholarship:
Scott Sloan - Frontenac School District - Pittsburg State University

Congratulations to you both!

Next up in our scholarship recognitions is the Tyler R. Jeck Scholarship.The Tyler R. Jeck Scholarship was established i...
06/11/2026

Next up in our scholarship recognitions is the Tyler R. Jeck Scholarship.

The Tyler R. Jeck Scholarship was established in 2012 to continue Tyler’s dream of helping others in his memory. Tyler, a well-respected and much-loved 2010 graduate, attended St. Mary’s Colgan Catholic Schools from Kindergarten through graduation.

This year's recipients are:

Carston Simmons - St. Mary's Colgan Catholic Schools - Pittsburg State University
Janessa Davis - St. Mary's Colgan Catholic School - Pittsburg State University
Joseph Lomshek - St. Mary's Colgan Catholic School - Pittsburg State University

Congratulations to you all!

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the Thomas J. Restivo Memorial Scholarship.As a beloved coach, educator, c...
06/10/2026

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the Thomas J. Restivo Memorial Scholarship.

As a beloved coach, educator, community leader, and avid supporter of athletics, the Thomas J. Restivo Memorial Scholarship was established so that his legacy will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. Tom left an indelible mark on the lives of countless students and athletes. He contributed significantly to his community. The Thomas J. Restivo Scholarship is intended to “Give a shot to those who don’t have a shot.”

This year's recipient is:

Laila Davis - Fort Scott High School - Pittsburg State University

Congratulations Laila!

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the Stacy Goedeke Scholarship.Stacy Goedeke was raised on a small farm in ...
06/10/2026

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the Stacy Goedeke Scholarship.

Stacy Goedeke was raised on a small farm in Southeast Kansas. She loved the Kansas countryside and farm life. Stacy attended Kansas State University and, in 2008, graduated with a degree in Milling Science. Stacy wanted to be the best she could be no matter what challenge was in her path, and she worked tirelessly toward that goal. Stacy’s career and sense of adventure led her far from home, but Kansas and Manhattan were never far from her heart. She died unexpectedly in 2017 at the age of 31.

During Stacy’s life, she observed that most scholarships are established on criteria such as GPA, test scores, or class rank. Stacy always felt that these criteria caused students who possessed non-classroom skills to be overlooked. She believed that students should be rewarded for investing time in school and engaging in and improving their world through community outreach programs such as church and 4-H. Objective standards also ignore students who are committed to earning their college degrees despite enduring adversities not generally faced by college students. The abilities of these students cannot be measured by their GPA or test scores. Still, Stacy believed that their investment in their communities and resilience in adversity should be rewarded. This scholarship was created to honor her memory.

This year's recipient is:

Brayton Brueggen - Louisburg High School - Kansas State University

Congrats Brayton!

Our next scholarship recognition is the Short Fine Arts Scholarship.The Short Fine Arts Scholarship was established in 2...
06/09/2026

Our next scholarship recognition is the Short Fine Arts Scholarship.

The Short Fine Arts Scholarship was established in 2007 in memory of Nicholas and John Patrick Short. This scholarship opportunity is designed to encourage young people to pursue artistic excellence at the college level.

This year's recipient is:

Leo Norman - Pittsburg Community Schools USD 250 - Pittsburg State University

Congrats Leo!

Our next scholarhip recognition is the Ronald W. Murray Engineering Scholarship.Ronald Wayne Murray grew up in the Galen...
06/09/2026

Our next scholarhip recognition is the Ronald W. Murray Engineering Scholarship.

Ronald Wayne Murray grew up in the Galena, KS area and attended school with the class of 1975. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he first got a degree in Petroleum Engineering and later his second degree in Mechanical Engineering. It was with that degree that Ron started working with Toshiba in Houston, Texas and did an extensive amount of global traveling. He retired from General Electric in Iowa after 15 years. He spent those later years on his Harley before passing in 2023 at 66.

This year's recipients are:

Christian Pielach - Galena Unified Schools 499 - Pittsburg State University
Dakota Bennett - Galena High School - Emporia State University
Kamden Martin - Galena High School - Missouri Southern State University

Congratulations to you all!

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the Pat Forbes Scholarship.The Pat Forbes Scholarship was established in 2...
06/08/2026

Next in our scholarship recognition series is the Pat Forbes Scholarship.

The Pat Forbes Scholarship was established in 2005 by students, colleagues, and friends of Pat Forbes upon his retirement as principal and former teacher and coach at St. Mary’s-Colgan High School.

This year's recipient is:

Rebekah Landsteiner - St. Mary's Colgan Catholic Schools - Pittsburg State University

Congratulations Rebekah!

Next up in our scholarship recognition series is the Nancy Evans Community Health Nursing Scholarship (Community Health ...
06/08/2026

Next up in our scholarship recognition series is the Nancy Evans Community Health Nursing Scholarship (Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas).

To honor Nancy Evans, RN, BSN, for her 17 years of service to the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK) and a lifetime dedicated to nursing, CHC/SEK has established the Nancy Evans Community Health Nursing Scholarship at the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas. Over the span of 17 years, Nancy was part of the beginnings of many services at Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas.

This year's recipient is:

Malerie Whittley - JMJ Homeschool - Pittsburg State University

Congrats Malerie!

Address

100 S. Broadway, Suite 100, P. O. Box 1448
Pittsburg, KS
66762

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

(620) 231-8897

Website

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