Leonard D. Carmichael Community Service Scholarship
Purpose:
To provide four year scholarships to Rochelle High School graduating seniors who are engaged in community service. This scholarship has an award of $2,500, renewable for up to four years.
Criteria:
To be eligible for funding, an applicant must be a graduating Rochelle High School Senior who has been nominated by the high school’s principal, has a record of community service, and demonstrates financial need.
Important Note: You must be nominated by the Principal of Rochelle High School to apply for this scholarship
Deadline: March 1
Leonard D. Carmichael’s Bio:
Leonard Carmichael was born in 1920, attended a small one-room school house, and graduated from Rochelle High School at the age of 16. Farming and raising livestock were all Leonard ever knew growing up. Along with the usual corn, soybeans, and wheat, he raised sweet corn, green beans, peas, tomatoes, asparagus, and sunflowers. He married Marjorie Brauer in 1946 and together raised 5 children. The farm eventually evolved into a full-service grain elevator business called Maplehurst Farms, Inc. and today includes not only farm land and grain elevators, but also custom fertilizer and chemical application, and trucking at 10 different locations.
Over the years, Leonard helped raise funds for a variety of organizations, including the Rockford Rescue Mission, Rochelle Community Hospital, Kishwaukee College, Rochelle Child Care Center, Oak Crest Retirement Center in DeKalb, Lincoln Manor in Rochelle, the Rotary Foundation, the Rochelle Area Community Foundation, and Hospice Serenity Home in Oregon.
He was a founding member and the first President of the Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corporation. He served on the Rochelle Hospital Board, Ogle County Farm Bureau Board, IL Grain & Feed Association Board, church boards, Holcomb State Bank Board, Rochelle Child Care Center Board, Lincoln Manor Board, and Rochelle Chamber of Commerce Board. He was the original founder of the Rochelle Area Community Foundation in 2006. Leonard has received the Rockford Philanthropist Award and Rochelle’s Man of the Year Community Award.
Leonard touched many different individuals and organizations during his lifetime. His hope was that one day he would be remembered as a farmer and a business man with a kind and compassionate heart. Leonard will be remembered for accomplishing much in his lifetime, but his greatest legacy will be his selfless love for his God, family, community, and a generation he will never personally know, but one that will benefit from his work.
Application Instructions:
To apply for this scholarship, you must complete an online application and submit a packet of additional materials in hard copy. Both of these components MUST be RECEIVED by the March 1st deadline.
The scholarship packet requires your school counselor, registrar or principal to verify your academic information so be sure to allow sufficient time to submit the application. Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted.
Links to Online Applications:
To begin a new online application, click on the link below and follow the instructions listed on the form.
To finish a saved application, click the link below.
Application Downloads for Hard Copy Packet:
The hard copy packet consists of an Application Checklist, Academic Verification Form and Recommendation Form. To download these documents, click on the link below.
If you have any questions, contact James Patterson at 962-2110 ext. 11 or e-mail.