Community Foundation Boosts Scholarships for Class of 2020

ASHLAND – In an effort to support and encourage graduating seniors from area high schools, Ashland
County Community Foundation made sure every student who completed a scholarship application
through the foundation this year received a scholarship.

“This is an unprecedented action for the foundation, but we understand that the members of the Class
of 2020 are in an unprecedented position,” said ACCF President/CEO Jim Cutright.

“They’ve missed out on classroom learning and lunchroom socialization. They’ve had to forgo spring
sports seasons and so many other extracurricular activities. Now they face the difficulty of starting new
chapters in their lives amid the uncertainties of a pandemic.”

At Cutright’s recommendation, the executive committee of ACCF’s board of trustees agreed to use a
portion of the foundation’s unrestricted funds to boost this year’s scholarship awards.

With ACCF’s addition of approximately $22,000, any applicant who would not have received a
scholarship this year received $500. Any applicant who had been selected to receive a sum total of
scholarships less than $500 had his or her scholarship total increased to $500.

In total, 178 students were awarded 267 scholarships— approximately $345,500— with a majority of
the awards coming from donors’ scholarship funds held at ACCF.

“This is not something we will be able to do every year, but through the generosity of our donors, we
are pleased to be able to do it this year,” Cutright said. “It’s our simple way of telling the class of 2020,
‘We believe in you.’”

This Class of 2020 Scholarship Initiative is the latest in a series of actions taken by ACCF to help mitigate
the negative effects to COVID-19 in Ashland County.

In March, the foundation established an Emergency Response pass-through fund as a means of allowing
donors to support Ashland City Schools’ student lunch distribution.

In April, ACCF redirected Silver Anniversary dollars previously set aside for the foundation’s 25th
Anniversary initiatives to create a COVID-19 Nonprofit Relief Fund, in partnership with United Way of
Ashland County. More than $141,500 has been granted from that fund to support local nonprofit
organizations that are striving to meet community needs amid difficulties caused by the pandemic.

About Ashland County Community Foundation: Ashland County Community Foundation advances
philanthropy and improves the quality of life in Ashland County by connecting people who care with
causes that matter. ACCF has awarded over $16 million in scholarships, grants and distributions.