Scholarship Opportunities for FHS and Pekin Students

This is a series of informative articles regarding the scholarships available from The Greater Jefferson County Foundation.

Jefferson County Senior Students have a unique opportunity to apply for over $150,000 of scholarships created by dedicated donors and administered by The Greater Jefferson County, who celebrates 50 years of service to Jefferson County in 2025.

The Pete & Fern Crafton Scholarship is unique because it also invites PAST FHS graduates to apply in addition to graduating Senior students. These scholarships are figured annually and began as an annual award in 2010.

Jack & Ruth Sellars each have awards through the Foundation. Jack’s scholarships are focused on Career/Tech and two are awarded annually at $2,500 each. Ruth’s scholarship is Open for an outstanding FHS student with emphasis on Community Involvement and is $5,000.

Ben & Judy Bower sponsor a $1,000 scholarship annually for a student studying Machine Shop, Metal Working, Welding or CAD and attending IHCC, Kirkwood or SEICC.

John & Deb Martin offer four scholarships to include FHS and Pekin students attending a Trade School, GPA, Financial Need or Open criteria.

The Felgars created a scholarship of $3,000 each that awards three FHS or Pekin students studying in the medical field at IHCC.

In 2023, Donna Clark created a scholarship in memory of her husband Howard for a current or PAST Pekin or FHS student studying Business, Agriculture or Medicine. These scholarships are $3,000 each.

In this third article of the series, six scholarships have been emphasized to show the range of scholarship opportunities for graduating Senior students, with many more to come.

The 2026 scholarship application process will begin Nov. 1, 2025 with a deadline of February 1, 2026. Both FHS and Pekin senior students are welcome to apply. Online applications will be available on the application website at www.gjcfscholarships.org. For more information, contact the Foundation at gjcf0758@windstream.net or call 641-472-0758. View our Facebook page for information as well!