Al Zierler Memorial Scholarship

Background:

Al Zierler was born January 26, 1956. He and his wife Judy (Verhagen) grew up in Kaukauna and raised their three daughters, Michelle, Kathy & Kelly, in Little Chute. Al worked at Capital Credit Union for 40 years and was President/CEO for 27 of those years. During Al’s tenure, Capital Credit Union grew from a $56 million, three-office organization into a $1.1 billion organization with 22 offices and over 400 employees.

Al was very active in his community. He served for 8 years on the board of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, including serving as chairman for a year. For many years, Al was also the chairman of the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival and volunteered for Special Olympics. He was an active member of St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Little Chute and was a previous member and chairman of the finance committee. He also coached his daughters’ volleyball and basketball teams while they attended St. John Grade School. During his lifetime, Al received many awards. He was the 2011 Fox Valley Technical College Alumni of the Year, 2013 speaker for the Fox Valley Technical College winter graduation, 2014 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year, and 2014 Kaukauna High School Rally Master for his 40th class reunion.

In his free time, Al enjoyed spending time with his family. He attended all his children and grandchildren’s events. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing up north at his cabin, cheering on his favorite Wisconsin sports teams, going for long walks with Judy, riding his Harley, happy hour on the patio, and spending winters at their condo in Fort Myers since retirement.

Because of Al’s strong community involvement, he was involved in the awarding and presenting of many scholarships over his lifetime. He believed strongly in higher education and loved presenting scholarships to students.

Al’s family established this scholarship in his memory. The awards will benefit students from four area high schools in which Al had a connection: Kaukauna High School, where Al & Judy graduated; Little Chute High School, where his three daughters graduated; and Kimberly & Hortonville High Schools, where his grandchildren will attend.

Eligibility: (taken into consideration to determine recipients)

• Graduating seniors from one of the following high schools: o Hortonville High School o Kaukauna High School o Kimberly High School o Little Chute High School • Planning to attend an accredited 2- or 4-year college, university, or technical school as a full-time student, pursuing a degree in business • Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA • Participation in extra-curricular activities and/or in community service and volunteering

Award Amount:

Two $1,000 awards for students from each of the four schools listed above, to be used for cost of attendance, payable for the 1 st semester of college.

Selection:

Recipients will be recommended each spring by members of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region Scholarship Selection Committee along with one family member.

Collecting the Award & Payment Procedure:

Recipients must fill out and submit Scholarship Acceptance Form and Scholarship Verification Form through the Scholarship Portal (https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cffvrscholar). Recipients are required to provide supporting documents as instructed in the Scholarship Verification Form, such as class registration/list with credits listed, proof of major, grade transcript, etc. After approval of online Scholarship Verification Form, the scholarship check will be paid directly to the school the recipient will be attending. The Community Foundation communicates with students via email; it is the student’s responsibility to keep their Scholarship Portal account updated with their current email address.

Loss of Eligibility:

Failure to maintain full-time student status pursuing a career in business for the 1st semester of the freshman year of college.

Further Information:

• High School Guidance Department • Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region o Website www.cffoxvalley.org/scholarships/ o Email scholarships@cffoxvalley.org o Phone 920.702.7629