Jackson County teachers eligible for

Donald J. Klaes Classroom Education Grants

Are you a teacher in Jackson County? Do you know one?

All teachers in Jackson County are eligible for a Donald J. Klaes Classroom Education Grant.

Teachers may request up to $400 for bold, creative projects that lack funding from traditional budgets. The grants are paid directly to teachers.

The deadline to apply is November 2. Grants for travel, seminars or field trips are not eligible for funding.

Projects in the past have included a new PA speaker for a classroom, STEM curriculum, supplies for a cooking class, chairs for students with special needs and more.

Since 2023, the program has awarded $18,284 in grants to Jackson County teachers.

The grants are possible thanks to the generosity of the Klaes family, which established the fund following the death of Donald J. Klaes in 2020.

Klaes was a graduate of Seymour High School and Indiana University. His legacy will endure through memories with his family and the three funds created at the Foundation, including the Classroom Education Grant Endowment. Other funds include the Donald J. Klaes Music & the Performing Arts Fund and Donald J. Klaes Community Endowment.

Teachers should click here to apply.

Giving a Gift of Grain continues, Green vs. Red Contest underway

The first gifts of this harvest season into the Gift of Grain program reached the office of the Community Foundation of Jackson County earlier this month.

The friendly competition that pits tractor afficionados into two camps – the Green Team and the Red Team – also has gained steam.

Three gifts have been made through the Gift of Grain program, with the Green Team leading with 89 percent of votes cast so far. The Red Team has 11 percent.

Votes are made in the form of gifts to the Foundation and can come in the form of grains, such as corn and soybeans, or cash gifts. Every $25 of a gift to the Foundation counts as one vote. Every $100 of a gift counts as five votes.

So far, gifts into the 2026 Gift of Grain program are benefitting three funds at the Foundation: The Orville & Mary Schnitker Memorial Endowment, the Mary Evelyn Mellencamp Memorial Fund and the Montie Prince Scholarship for Young Learners.

Giving through the Gift of Grain is simple for farmers. Farmers can tell their grain elevator that they want to donate a particular load or amount of corn or soybeans to the Foundation. The elevator in turn sells the grain on behalf of the Foundation and sends a check. The farmer can direct the gift into the fund of their choice.

Participating in Gift of Grain is simple and can take place at participating elevators – Premier Ag in Brownstown, Bundy Brothers at Medora, Rose Acre Farms at Cortland, Tampico Grain near Crothersville and White River Nutrition near Cortland.

Gifts can benefit the area’s agricultural community through grants to programs such as 4-H and scholarship funds such as the Premier Companies/Bob Myers Memorial Scholarship and the Jackson County Veterinary Scholarship. They can also benefit our community in general through the Fall Grant cycle with gifts to unrestricted funds or any fund of the donor's choosing.

For information about the Giving a Gift of Grain program, or its companion program, Giving a Gift of Livestock, contact the Community Foundation of Jackson County at 812-523-4483, or send an email to president@cfjacksoncounty.org. We’ll be happy to work with you as you harvest your crops and sow the seeds to help us grow better tomorrows. Stored grain may be donated any time of the year, by the way.

Family establishes scholarship to

honor longtime Seymour educator

Former students, fellow educators and the public are invited to contribute to a scholarship established in honor of a longtime Seymour educator.

The family of the late Montie Prince recently established the Montie Prince Scholarship for Young Learners at the Community Foundation of Jackson County. The scholarship is for graduating seniors of any Jackson County high school with a preference to those planning to study building trades or other vocational fields.

Prince served Seymour Community Schools as an educator from 1972 to 2003 and is remembered for his love of history and his dedication to his students.

Gifts can be made by cash, check or by clicking here.

Checks should be payable to the Community Foundation of Jackson County and include the Montie Prince Scholarship in the memo line.

Gifts can be mailed to the Foundation at P.O. Box 1231 Seymour, IN 47274, or be brought to the office at 107 Community Drive, Seymour.

Gifts also may be made through Qualified Charitable Distributions from retirement investment accounts. Donors should contact their financial advisor to begin facilitating such gifts.

Donors with questions may call the Foundation office at 812-523-4483, email info@cfjacksoncounty.org or stop by the office during business hours.

How you can help:

- Gifts of cash or check may be made at the Foundation office between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 107 Community Drive, Seymour IN 47274. After hours gifts can be made in the secure drop box outside the office.

- Gifts may be mailed to P.O. Box 1231, Seymour IN 47274.

- Online: Click here.

Click here to read Donor Relations Manager Jordan Richart's column on the late Montie Prince that was published in The Tribune.

Foundation funds workshop

for nonprofit boards

The Foundation welcomed board members and staff from local nonprofit organizations for the Building Better Boards workshop on October 7, at the Foundation's conference center. It was lead by staff of Purdue University Extension.

The workshop covered the fundamental duties of board members, clarified roles between board members and staff, provided training and ideas to recruit and retain board members and more.

Foundation President & CEO Dan Davis was a guest panelist, alongside Terrye Davidson, a community volunteer, and Dan Robison, Jackson County Chamber Director, during the workshop, sharing insights of working alongside a board to effectively move an organization forward through its mission.

Bringing the workshop to the community was a partnership by the Foundation, Jackson County United Way and Purdue Extension Jackson County. The Foundation is grateful for the collaboration between community partners committed to making Jackson County better through board service and development.

Offering the workshop is part of the Foundation's effort to support local nonprofits and develop leadership in Jackson County.

The Owen-Carr Township Community Fund committee recently awarded three grants during its September meeting.

The committee awarded $2,959.12 to the Carr Township Volunteer Fire Department for new tires on a fire engine, $2,500 to Girls Inc. of Jackson County for programming and $10,000 to Medora Christian Church for new HVAC units on the 237 Building.

The grants are funded by gifts from Rumpke of Indiana. Rumpke contributes 10 cents for every ton of waste brought to the landfill in Medora to the Owen-Carr Township Community Fund. Rumpke established the fund at the Community Foundation of Jackson County in 2006.

Grants are awarded to nonprofits, charitable organizations and government entities doing work in Carr and Owen townships. A committee meets quarterly to evaluate applications, hear from applicants, discuss proposals and award grants.

The fund has supported education, public safety, basic human needs, quality of life initiatives and historic preservation.

The committee will convene for its next grant cycle at 6 p.m. December 14, at the Medora Senior Center. Applications are due by December 7.

In case you missed it

The Foundation has shared multiple videos over the last month featuring our work, volunteers and donors.

Those include featuring the upcoming Poverty Simulation organized by Jackson County United Way, the Gift of Grain and a feature of the first field trip St. Ambrose Catholic School students took through the Edward Spray Cultural Enrichment Program Endowment.

The Foundation's videos can be found on our website, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, X and Instagram.

View the St. Ambrose field trip video below and share with a friend.