As a Community Foundation, we get a front row seat to see legacies in action and what can happen when a group of people work together to make their community a better place. In West Branch, two individuals joined forces bringing together childhood friends and classmates for the greater good.
West Branch High School doesn’t exist anymore – at least not as it was while it was open for more than 75 years, starting in 1890. The last graduates of the school walked the stage in 1968, right before the school systems of West Branch and Rose City consolidated. The original building is still there but is now nestled inside the structure that makes up Surline Middle School in downtown West Branch (pictured below). The school’s alumni group had a strong desire to preserve their school’s legacy and ensure future generations would know it existed. Two alumni – Nancy Griffin and the late Ronald Schneider – wanted to take that legacy a step further and support local students while commemorating their alma mater.
In 2006, Nancy and Ronald established the Orioles Forever West Branch High School Alumni Endowment Fund (a name that gives a nod to the school’s mascot), and immediately set to work fundraising.
“We felt many of the WBHS alumni were in a position to give back to their ‘starter community’, and by the end of that year, by word of mouth, e-mail and mailing, about $10,000 was donated by many alumni, and they have continued to support the fund over the years,” says Nancy. “We chose to establish the fund at the North Central Michigan Community Foundation because we knew this would keep the funds here in the community we all grew up in,” she says. “I served on the NCMCF board, and Ron was familiar with community foundations through his career. We knew it was a way to create that permanent legacy for the Orioles.”
It took two years for the scholarship fund to generate enough for the newly formed Orioles Forever Advisory Committee to be able to award the first $500 scholarship. Today, the Fund has grown to over $294,000, awarding over $84,000 supporting over 100 students from Ogemaw County. For those recipients, a scholarship was more than just financial support; it was a high-five from their community.
“When I was looking at college and seeing the looming bills and tuition, and applying to as many scholarships as I could, receiving this scholarship helped me make the decision to pursue my degree in chemical engineering at Western Michigan University,” says 2015 Ogemaw Heights High School graduate Zachary Marentette, now an engineer with Eli Lilly. “It felt like there was a group of people supporting me in my journey.”
For 2017 recipient Kailyn Delmotte, not only did receiving the award allow her to follow her goals of attending a four-year university but was also a very personal experience.
“The Orioles Forever Scholarship particularly meant a lot to me,” says Kailyn. “My grandparents had gone to West Branch High School, being awarded that scholarship made me feel really connected to my family and my community.”
The Orioles Forever Advisory Committee takes part in graduation award ceremonies and continues to inspire others to give back in support of their hometown. Alumni are now spread all over the state and country. Ten years ago, the Committee started an Alumni Day on the same day that the Alumni Association holds its annual banquet, to reconnect with old friends, reminisce, tour the part of West Branch High School that has since been built around, and encourage donations.
“None of us – the original alumni – will be around in 20 years, so we’re counting on the Community Foundation to be good stewards of our Fund,” says Nancy. “We feel confident that it will be able to support itself and continue to give scholarships in the future.”
Anyone can donate to this fund at any time, and in any amount, to support students from Ogemaw County and to help preserve an important piece of West Branch’s history.