Jacobs High student receives $2,000 scholarship
The Dundee Township Visitor's Center, in conjunction with Dundee Township Rotary Foundation, awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Jacobs High School student Abigail Yonker of West Dundee. Yonker said she will be attending Texas Christian University where she will study film/television/digital media.
“It's especially helpful to me, because I'm going to a school so far away,” Yonker said after receiving the award at the Dundee Township Rotary's annual awards banquet in May. “It means a lot to know that back home, people are supporting me and they are supporting my dreams and my goals.”
Seventeen scholarships totaling $29,500 were awarded to college-bound students from Dundee Township at the event.
Yonker is an academic honors student and a member of the National Honor Society. She has been a student council class representative for three years, she is a peer tutor, and she participated in volleyball and track. More recently, she fulfilled a prophecy she made in sixth grade to become editor-in-chief of The Talon, Jacobs' school paper.
“It is our hope that Abigail will not only be able to use this money to further her education, but then someday she'll be able to give something back to her home community in the form of expertise or leadership,” said Visitor's Center board president Stephen K. Pickett.
The Visitor's Center scholarship was established in 2007 by the Dundee Township Visitor's Center, a nonprofit organization located at 319 N. River St. in East Dundee. In addition to serving as a bicycle trail rest stop and clearinghouse for tourism information in and around Dundee Township, the Visitor's Center also hosts the Old Dundee Farmers Market every Saturday, May through October.
Pickett said funds for the annual scholarship come from booth fees from the Dundee Township Farmers Market.
“We don't receive any other funding, other than use of the building and grounds, which the Village of East Dundee owns and generously lets us use,” he said.
“We awarded our first scholarship in 2008, and it's our hope to be able to continue and even expand the effort in the future,” said board secretary Paula Lauer. “The farmers market has been a great asset, not only because people enjoy it so much, but as it's grown, it's enabled us to give back to the community and participate in things like this scholarship program.”
The Visitor's Center has funded upgrades and improvements to the depot building itself and donated funds to other community organizations, including Dundee Township Open Space, the Save the Silo fund at Raceway Woods and the Dundee Township Historical Society.
For information about the Visitor's Center and the farmers market, including photos and the annual largest tomato and pumpkin contests, visit the website at www.dundeedepot.com or find them on Facebook under “Dundee Depot & farmers market.”