William Jewell lived a quiet, unassuming life. He’s about to change thousands of lives for the better.
Jewell, who died in July 2021, just two months shy of his 100th birthday, left a staggering $12.5 million bequest to the Porter County Community Foundation, the largest gift in that nonprofit’s 27-year history.
On May 9th, 2019, twenty-six high school seniors received a scholarship at the Porter County Community Foundation’s Annual Scholarship Banquet.
Since 1998, the Foundation has presented 382 scholarships to students from all over Porter County.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars Vanessa Cardona (left) and Emma Johnson (right).
Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships were awarded this year to Aidan Aubuchon of Portage High School, Emma Johnson of Indiana Connections Academy and Vanessa Cardona of Valparaiso High School. This scholarship pays full tuition and fees to any college or university in the state of Indiana, as well as $900 each year for books. Since inception, the Foundation has awarded 85 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships, totaling over $4 million. These scholarships are the result of a statewide initiative by Lilly Endowment Inc. to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana and support Indiana’s community foundations in their mission to enhance quality of life.
The Porter County Community Foundation awarded $4,000 scholarships to Jenna Dawson of Michigan City High School, Ashley Sutton of Indiana Academy and Sarah Smith of Chesterton High School.
Porter County is fortunate to have businesses and individuals who value the importance of education. Thanks to the generosity of NIPSCO, the Plesac Family Scholarship Fund, the Larry and Jerilyn Klemz Scholarship Fund, the Largura Family Scholarship Fund and the Tom and Alice Roberts Scholarship Fund, a $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Allison Hano of Hebron High School, Emily Zoll of Boone Grove High School, Jillian Burton of Washington Township High School, Haley Ruiz of Wheeler High School, Alannah Hodges of Morgan Township High School, Kaitlyn Steele of Valparaiso High School, Molly Slatcoff of Chesterton High School, Sanja Kirova of Portage High School and Grayce Beach of Kouts High School.
Each year, the Porter County Community Foundation awards $1,000 scholarships to students who attend the Porter County Career and Technical Center. The recipients for this year are Lauren Drang, Thomas “Jay” Edwards, Roury Farnum, Haley Jackson, Alicia Kleckner, Cameron Tharp, Lauren Yates and Abbigail Stram.
Three special scholarships were created as a legacy for the person or family whose name they carry and will last into perpetuity. The Harlan A. Siegesmund Liberty Township Alumni Scholarship was awarded to Ethan Snowdin of Chesterton High School. This scholarship was established by the Liberty Township High School Class of 1958 to honor their long-time principal Mr. Siegesmund. The Tom and Georgia Bricker Scholarship was awarded to Holly Kuebler of Kouts High School. This scholarship was created by Georgia, a school teacher, to honor her late husband Tom. Lastly, the Shawn Moyer Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Olivia Konchar of Kouts High School. Shawn Moyer was a 1999 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar who passed away during his sophomore year at Taylor University. Lilly Endowment and the Foundation endowed the remaining balance of Shawn’s scholarship to create this award for graduates of Kouts High School.
Porter County Community Foundation Scholar Sarah Smith.
Community Scholars Haley Ruiz (left), Alannah Hodges (Center), and Jillian Burton (right).
Porter County Career and Technical Center Scholars (left to right) Abbigail Stram, Haley Jackson, Lauren Yates, Thomas “Jay” Edwards, Alicia Kleckner, Roury Farnum, and Lauren Drang.
Harlan A. Siegesmund Liberty Township Alumni Scholar Ethan Snowdin.
Tom & Georgia Bricker Scholar Holly Kuebler.
Shawn Moyer Memorial Scholar Olivia Konchar.
Dr. John and Linnea Forchetti both grew up in Pennsylvania. After graduating from Villanova University, John worked as a lab tech at Methodist Hospital while attending Jefferson Medical School. Linnea was studying to become a nurse at Methodist Hospital when she met John. The two started dating and married in 1961 during John’s last year of medical school.
Dr. Forchetti served as a medical doctor with the US Navy in the 1960s. Upon returning from the Navy, the couple became Hoosiers when they settled in Chesterton. Dr. Forchetti worked for 8 years in family practice before he returned to school to specialize in cardiology. Linnea was a nurse at St. Anthony’s Hospital where she was a member of the first nurse practitioner class in Lake County. Dr. Forchetti was a founder and partner with Northwest Indiana Cardiovascular Physicians. He also established the PACE Program (a running group for patients of open heart surgery) as part of the cardiac rehab program at what would become Porter Regional Hospital.
As an avid runner and a strong advocate for living a healthy lifestyle, he encouraged and inspired others to do the same. He has completed 38 marathons, running his first in 1978 and his last at age 65. Dr. Forchetti was the Chesterton High School football team physician for over 40 years. In 2003, he was inducted into the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame for his dedication and years of service with the Trojans.
Today, Dr. Forchetti is a Master Gardener, a civil war buff, and he raises bees with his long-time friend, Tom Roberts. Linnea volunteers with Table of Plenty at St. Pat's in Chesterton, a program that she helped start. The Forchetti’s have 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Both with a strong passion for the medical field and our community, John & Linnea decided they wanted to do something special for both. Together, they started the Dr. John and Linnea Forchetti Family Nursing Scholarship Fund. This endowed fund will provide financial support to those actively pursuing a nursing degree. What a wonderful legacy of generosity and kindness!
Setting up a named scholarship fund is a great way to show support for youth in Porter County. Your scholarship fund will make a difference in the lives of students, helping them pursue their passion and easing the burden of educational costs. It is also a great way to honor or remember a loved one.
As one chapter comes to a close, a new one is just beginning for the 27 talented high school seniors recognized at the Porter County Community Foundation’s Annual Scholarship Banquet. Since 1998, the Foundation has presented 356 scholarships to Porter County students.
The 2018 recipients are:
The Porter County Community Foundation has awarded 82 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships to Porter County students since 1998. This scholarship pays full tuition and fees to any college or university in the state of Indiana and $900 each year for books. The 2018 recipients of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships are: (left to right) Alaynah Chatman (Portage High School), Robert Walker (Washington Township High School), and Abigail Koster (Chesterton High School).
Porter County is fortunate to have businesses and individuals who value the importance of education. Thanks to the generosity of NIPSCO, the Plesac Family Scholarship Fund, the Larry and Jerilyn Klemz Scholarship Fund, the Largura Family Scholarship Fund and the Tom and Alice Roberts Scholarship Fund, a $1,000 scholarship was awarded to each of the following recipients: (left to right) Jayson Heinold (Kouts High School), Austyn Pryatel (Morgan Township High School), Natalie Dowdy (Andrean High School), Sam Klumpe (Valparaiso High School), Emily Horsley (LaCrosse High School), and Mickayla Edmaiston (Portage High School). Not pictured: Kayla Rivera (Wheeler High School) and Thomas Gotsch (Marquette High School).
The Chesterton High School Class of 1958 established the Harlan A. Siegsmund Liberty Township Alumni Scholarship in honor of their longtime principal. The scholarship is awarded to a graduate of Chesterton High School with a preference given to residents of Liberty Township. This year’s recipient is Rigoberto Alvarez, Jr. (Chesterton High School) pictured here with Ed Seykowski, a member of the class, who was instrumental in creating this scholarship.
Each year, the Porter County Community Foundation provides $4,000 scholarships to Porter County students. The 2018 recipients are: (left to right) Madison Nondorf (Valparaiso High School) and Lexi Sroka (Hebron High School). Not pictured: Alex Reed (Boone Grove High School).
The Foundation and the Porter County Career and Technical Education Center have worked together since 2008 to award scholarships to their students. The recipients for 2018 are: (left to right) Joshua Chew, Cailee Hodges, Jacob Wells, Cameron Chapman and Abigail Vargas, with Jon Groth (Director of the Porter County Career and Technical Education Center). Not Pictured: Bridget McGrath and Tyler Smolar.
Georgia Bricker, whose husband, Tom, passed away in 2006, established a scholarship in memory of him. This year’s recipient is Kelsey Fleming (Washington Township High School).
Shawn Moyer was a 1999 recipient of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. During his sophomore year at Taylor University, Shawn lost his battle with cancer. The remaining balance of his scholarship was endowed to create this award for Kouts High School graduates. This year’s recipient, Hannah Maier (Kouts High School), is pictured here with Nick and Bev Moyer, Shawn’s parents.
As one chapter comes to a close, a new one is just beginning for the 27 talented high school seniors recognized at the Porter County Community Foundation’s Annual Scholarship Banquet. Since 1998, the Foundation has presented 332 scholarships to Porter County students.
Three Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships were awarded this year to Robert Kreloff of Valparaiso High School, Elizabeth Palmer of Kouts High School and Sam Soucie of Washington Township High School. This scholarship pays full tuition and fees to any college or university in the state of Indiana, as well as $900 each year for books. In total, the Foundation has awarded 79 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships since inception, totaling over $4 million. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships are the result of a statewide initiative by Lilly Endowment Inc. to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana, support Indiana’s community foundations in their mission to enhance quality of life, and encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.
The Porter County Community Foundation awarded Keiggan Lange of Boone Grove High School, Sonny Hammonds of Chesterton High School, and Jordan Powell of Andrean High School, each a $4,000 scholarship.
NIPSCO partnered with the Foundation to provide $1,000 scholarships to Emily Lazarek of Marquette Catholic High School, Kadie Spoor of Wheeler High School, Nicole Pomeroy of Michigan City High School, Marybeth Scheibel of Valparaiso High School, Anastasia Miller of Chesterton High School, Andrew Briggs of Hebron High School, Sofia Serrano of Portage High School, Samantha Haywood of Portage High School and Caitlin Clute of Morgan Township High School.
Each year, the Porter County Community Foundation awards $1,000 scholarships to students who attend the Porter County Career and Technical Center. The recipients for this year are Emmalee Deardurff, Alexis Farnum, Brieana Kraus, Amber Rardin, Alexus Reyes, Kyle Stowers, Abigail Street, Jordyn Windsor and Kyle Wolfe.
Three special scholarships were created as a legacy for the person or family whose name they carry and will last into perpetuity. The Harlan A. Siegesmund Liberty Township Alumni Scholarship was awarded to Lindsey Burgess of Chesterton High School. This scholarship was established by the Liberty Township High School Class of 1958 to honor their long-time principal Mr. Siegesmund. The Tom and Georgia Bricker Scholarship was awarded to Abigail Street of Valparaiso High School. This scholarship was created by Georgia, a school teacher, to honor her late husband Tom. Lastly, the Shawn Moyer Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Kyla Roney of Kouts High School. Shawn Moyer was a 1999 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar who passed away during his sophomore year at Taylor University. Lilly Endowment and the Foundation endowed the remaining balance of Shawn’s scholarship to create this award for graduates of Kouts High School.
