The Oneida Education Foundation will conduct its major fund-raising project in January. The OEF Mail-a-Thon took the place of the original Phone-a-thon when the use of cell phones made finding phone numbers difficult.

The OEF announces six new endowed funds that will help the organization fulfill its mission of providing grant funds for teachers in Oneida County’s four brick-and-mortar schools and of providing scholarship funds for graduates of Malad High School. These new endowments join the 53 established endowment funds that may be designated by donors.

In 1988, the first permanent endowment fund was established at the time the Oneida Education Foundation was organized. The children of William H. and Cecelia D. Rutter set up this fund as a permanent memorial to their parents.  Since then, generous donors have helped the OEF establish 54 endowed scholarships and 5 curricula/classroom endowed funds.

When a new endowment is set up by families, friends, and community members, it becomes a permanent legacy for the persons, families, and organizations for whom the endowment is named. When these funds reach $1000, they are invested in secure mutual funds through Edward Jones Investments.  With earned interest and ongoing donations, these funds will last in perpetuity to support Oneida County schools and students as stipulated by the donors.

(In the unlikely case of an endowed fund running out of money, it is closed. To date, only three scholarship funds have been closed due to lack of funds.)

Recently Stella Sandquist of Pocatello established the William and Jean Jones Byrd/David and Stella Byrd Sandquist Scholarship in memory of her parents, who were prominent citizens of Malad and raised their four daughters here.

 The MHS Class of 1973 joined the Class of 1971 and the Class of 1962 in establishing scholarship endowments.  These funds are the result of discussions at class reunions when class members decide to establish a permanent endowment.

Sometimes a graduating class honors a classmate who died too soon.  The Malad High School Class of 1984 established the Justin Gilgen Memorial Scholarship Fund so that Justin’s friends and family members can contribute to this permanent fund in his memory.

Many families have established scholarship funds to memorialize the lives of their loved ones.  The family of Kenny Ward established the Golden Kenneth Ward Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor Kenny, a Malad High School athlete who later learned he had an inherited auto-immune disease that took his life.

The family, friends, and colleagues of Erin Hawkes, a long-time teacher at Malad Elementary School, set up the Erin Jones Hawkes Memorial Elementary School Curricula Endowment immediately after she died of the cancer from which she had suffered for several years. That fund will be used to award classroom and curriculum grants to teachers in grades K-2 at Malad Elementary School.

Another classroom/curriculum grant was set up by Doug John to honor his mother, Myra Jean John. Mrs. John was well known throughout Oneida County for accompanying the Malad Valley Community Chorus, playing for church and community events, and providing the music for innumerable funerals. The Myra Jean John Family Music Endowment will be used to purchase supplies and equipment for the band and choir programs at Malad Middle and High Schools.

The OEF works with donors to establish the criteria for the awarding of teacher grants or student scholarships. Without the generous donations from families, friends, community members, organizations, and businesses, these awards would not be possible. When the OEF Mail-a-thon contacts you, please consider donating to one or more of these endowed funds, which will be listed on the donation form.