The INSPIRE Scholarship of the Community Foundation of Elkhart County doesn’t just give students money to help with tuition. It connects them to their community.

The INSPIRE Scholarship, which began in 2017, gives hard-working, community-minded students the opportunity to receive $3,000 per year. To be eligible, each of the recipients must complete a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer time per year in Elkhart County.

As a young girl, Maria Mitchell was on the receiving end of community outreach. She was diagnosed with cancer at 14 and spent months in Chicago, IL, away from home, receiving treatment. Maria made a full recovery, and the help of organizations like Ronald McDonald House made a lasting impact.

“I’m the first to help, because help was given to my family and me when I needed it,” said Maria. In addition to volunteer work for Ronald McDonald House, Maria served on their teen board. She has also volunteered for smaller nonprofits and events around the Elkhart community.

Maria received the INSPIRE Scholarship in 2020 and recently graduated from Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana with an associate degree in general studies. She plans to work in the nonprofit space and aspires to one day start her own organization. “The INSPIRE Scholarship helped me build a network. It’s opened my span of connections, which I know will come in handy as I pursue a career in the nonprofit space,” says Maria.

Anna Smucker learned about the INSPIRE Scholarship during her senior year of high school, and was selected as a four-year recipient in 2018. “It’s impacted me much more than I thought. It’s made me think more intentionally about giving to others and giving to the community,” says Anna.

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Anna volunteered at the The Depot in Goshen, which is part of a network of nonprofit thrift shops that support local and global relief, development, and peace projects of the Mennonite Central Committee. She also made masks during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a program with the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. “I’ve gotten to know many people, different ages and walks of life, that I wouldn’t have otherwise,” she says.

Anna graduated from Goshen College with a degree in graphic design and a double minor in Bible and religion, and music. She is moving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this fall for a year to volunteer with United Way. “The INSPIRE Scholarship is special. The relationships I’ve made have motivated me to continue volunteering,” said Anna.

Anna believes in the power of volunteering. “It’s a good way to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people in your community. It may be challenging at first if it’s not something you’re used to, but it’s a great opportunity to dig deeper,” she says.

Anna is confident that volunteerism and giving back to her community will play a significant role in her life, no matter where her career path leads. “It’s been such a blessing, and I’m so grateful. I’ve learned more about myself and that giving and helping others have become part of who I am. I don’t know that I would have had that if I hadn’t been actively volunteering to maintain the INSPIRE Scholarship.”

This story appeared in the 2022 Annual Report.