Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES— Belle High School senior Kaylee Hance was one of two recipients of a $750 scholarship from the Richard and Jeanne Cavender Scholarship for Public Service. Hance was ranked as one of the top of her class ranking fourth out of 49 students with a 4.0 GPA. She was active in softball, soccer, track, choir, president of the book club, Sergeant of Arms of National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Family Career and Community Leaders of America. In her community, Hance is a member of Legacy of Faith where she is the song coordinator, and also assisted with the Heartland Independent Living Center back-to-school fairs.

Hance plans to attend Columbia College and receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and then continue on to obtain a Masters. Hance has a calling for public service. In her application essay, Hance wrote:

“It takes a lot of heart to be a part of public service. I think that in order to be a public service member, one needs to love people, it is important to love them first. This is one area in which I am quite confident in my abilities. I truly love people, against logic at times. … I have the heart that it takes to work in public service, and I want to use my analytical abilities to help other people solve their problems, as well.”

The Cavenders established the scholarship through the Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) and Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO). The other $750 scholarship recipient for 2018 was Aaron Brandt of Osage R-1 Chamois High School.

MRCF is an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and is an affiliate of CFO in Springfield. The regional affiliate was formed in 2010. Its 12-member board includes representation from each of the eight Meramec counties and from MRPC. Vicki Lange of Osage County serves as president of MRCF.

Currently, MRCF has 60 funds totaling over $1.36 million.

CFO is a public foundation serving the Missouri Ozarks. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the region through resource development, community grant-making, collaborations and public leadership. Formed in 1973, CFO has since grown to include 49 affiliate community foundations and more than 3,200 charitable funds totaling approximately $285 million in assets, as of June 30, 2017.

MRPC, in addition to establishing the regional foundation and providing the initial investment to create a grant program, provides staff support to MRCF.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 23, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.

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