In the early 2000s, then Collinsville Mayor Stan Schaeffer, a retired educator, was inspired by “Promise” organizations in other communities that provided scholarships for local graduates. Following Schaeffer’s sudden death in 2008, City leaders made the Collinsville scholarship program a reality and set the course for its community-based focus.
The CollinsvilleEducation Scholarship Foundation (CESF) was established in 2010 for the purpose of “…raising funds and accepting and disbursing contributions, gifts, and bequests from individuals, groups, or businesses to support education scholarship opportunities and experiences for high school students who reside in the corporate limits of the City of Collinsville.”
CESF was the seed that grew into today’s community-wide Collinsville Area Community Foundation which offers a broad range of scholarship opportunities. The original CESF scholarship was renamed the “Stan Schaeffer Scholarship” in 2021 to pay tribute to the man who had the vision to support the dreams of youngCollinsville residents as they head off to college or technical school.
“Stan believed an investment in Collinsville youth through educational scholarships would elevate the quality of life for everyone,” said current Collinsville Mayor John Miller.
The Stan Schaeffer Scholarship is a $1,000 non-renewable award for Collinsville High School graduating seniors who live within the corporate limits of Collinsville, Illinois. Applications are available through the CHS Counseling Department.
Collinsville Area Community Foundation is a public charitable organization as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions and gifts are tax deductible. Donations and bequests are accepted from and disbursed to individuals, groups or businesses.
