Rotary Club of St. Charles hand out scholarships, name one for longtime member

On May 15, the Rotary Club of St. Charles awarded $16,000 in total to 10 scholarship recipients to help support their college education and vocational pursuits.

Special acknowledgment was given to recipient Hannah Zimmer who was awarded the inaugural John H. Wredling Scholarship Award.

The scholarship in Wredling's name will annually recognize the highest ranking scholarship recipient based on the merits of community service, financial need, and academic achievement.

The honorary scholarship was created in honor of John H. Wredling, a member of the Rotary Club of St. Charles, a World War II Veteran, and former superintendent of St. Charles Unit District 303 (1958-1972), for his commitment to education, the community, and Rotary.

In March, the Rotary Club of St. Charles bestowed Wredling with a Lifetime Rotarian Award to celebrate his 100th birthday and pronounce the scholarship award in his name.

The complete list of scholarship recipients is:

• Maria Ranieri of St. Charles, attends Illinois State University

• Caroline Elkin of St. Charles, attends Dickinson College

• Daniel Beckman of St. Charles, North High School, The Ohio State University

• Mary MacCarthy of St. Charles, East High School, Butler University

• Rachel Baumgartner of St. Charles, North High School, Northern Illinois University

• Claire Davis of St. Charles, East High School, Indiana University

• Michael Nelson of St. Charles, North High School, Iowa State University

• Ashley Montgomery of St. Charles, North High School, University of St. Francis

• Alishaa Hasan of West Chicago, East High School, University of Illinois

• Hannah Zimmer of St. Charles, North High School, University of Illinois at Chicago.

The club is committed to "Service Above Self" and focuses on five areas of service that include club service, vocational service, community service, international service, and New Generations Service. The club meets weekly at noon on Thursdays for a lunch and general business meeting. People living or working in St. Charles with interest in the Rotary Club are welcome to attend a lunch meeting as a guest of a fellow Rotarian.

The St. Charles Rotary Club is a mixed group of 50 local business men and women, community leaders, and retirees. The clubs embodies service in action. For example, this club has assisted in the building of a library and school in a rural area of Guatemala; has sent emergency aid to Haiti; has financially supported local nonprofits; has contributed funds to Rotary International's goal of worldwide eradication of polio. In addition, the club has provided more than $64,000 in local scholarships over the past 6 years. For details, call Scott Piner at (847) 280-1601. To see their work in action, visit rotarystc.org.