Ethel O’Brien Scholarship Fund

Background:

The Ethel O’Brien Scholarship Fund was established to honor Ethel M. (Buchholz) O’Brien. Ethel, the daughter of Arnold and Pauline Buchholz, had a passion for music and for education. Her musical training began as a child with piano lessons and at the age of twelve, she was asked to provide the music for a family friend’s wedding at the home of the bride’s family. So began her life of service to others through her music. Ethel attended St. Paul’s Lutheran grade school and Little Wolf High School. In high school she started to play violin. Ethel attended Stevens Point State Teachers College, where she played first chair violin in the orchestra and was part of the Thespian Group. Ethel married Bob O’Brien in 1940, lived on the Robert O’Brien, Sr. family farm and raised 16 children. Ethel passed on the love of music to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ethel knew the value of a quality education and the importance of being active in school. According to her son, David, she “cared about grades, but often said that the value of having an ability to socialize and communicate outweighs the value of getting perfect grades.” Ethel believed that success in life was more about communicating effectively, helping others feel good about themselves and being a productive member of society.

Eligibility: (taken into consideration to determine recipients)

• Graduating seniors from Little Wolf High School • Planning to pursue a degree at a college, university or technical school • Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA • Involvement in band and/or chorus in every semester of High school • Demonstrated appreciation for English and literature in activities and coursework • Community and school extracurricular activities and demonstrates leadership and communication skills

Award Amount:

One non-renewable $2,000 scholarship award for tuition expenses.

Selection:

Recipients are recommended each spring by Little Wolf High School Scholarship Selection Committee along with a 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 enroll as a full-time student at an accredited college, university or technical school for the first semester of college.

Further Information:

• Little Wolf 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