In honor of the Henry County Community Foundation’s 40th anniversary, we are sharing throwback stories of impact and donor spotlights. Here’s a story from the HCCF 2020 annual report.
Along with winning the IHSAA Class 2A Girls Basketball Tournament during the 2002-2003 school year, Shenandoah player, Amanda Norris, was awarded the Mental Attitude Award. This award also provides $1,000 to the school corporation from Farm Bureau Insurance. Just a few years after this event, another Shenandoah student, Kara Keesling, was given this same honor.
At the time, the high school administration decided that the best use of the funds was to give back to their students through scholarships. After the second student was awarded and the school received more award money, then principal and current Henry County Community Foundation board member, Charley Willis, decided to start a scholarship with the Henry County Community Foundation. That scholarship came to be known as the Rick Penn Honorary Scholarship.
Rick Penn graduated from Peru High School, attended basic training at Fort Sheridan, earned the rank of Staff Sergeant, graduated from Ball State with a degree in English and followed it with a Masters in the same. Then, in the fall of 1973, he made his way to Henry County.
He started teaching a full schedule of classes at Shenandoah High School. There, he also coached baseball and basketball and later became the high school athletic director, as well as the chair of the English Department.
Charley Willis, who was the Shenandoah High School principal during Rick’s tenure, worked closely with Rick for years. He shared, “Rick easily did the work of 3 full time employees. In the classroom, Rick taught senior level English and government. The last few years, this included 2 dual credit English courses. Even in retirement, he taught these courses remotely from Las Vegas. Rick also taught government in summer school. There were some summers that he had 45 to 50 students. Often this allowed students room in their schedules so that they could participate in vocational programs in New Castle or Anderson.”
During his time at Shenandoah, Rick received the HCCF Teacher Excellence Award. Rick sees that award as an example of the great work of Shenandoah school systems. He expressed, “I have often said that Shenandoah has good young people who are surrounded by good adults. To me, the award is a reflection of all the positive impact that working together has done for our community.
While Rick sees his Teacher Excellence Award as a reflection of the school, Charley Willis sees it as a reflection of the hard work and dedication that Rick applied to his roles at Shenandoah. He said, “During my 40 years as an educator, I have never seen anyone give more to a school and school community than Rick Penn.”
Rick and his wife, JoAnn, saw this scholarship as an opportunity to continually give back to the students and the school that he devoted so much of his time and energy to. Having received a grant from his church in Peru when he went to Ball State, he understands how much extra help can make a difference to each student who continues their education. As they discussed their estate, Rick and JoAnn decided to include the Henry County Community Foundation and their scholarship fund in their plans. Rick explained, “We hope to help future students get an education and remember that our scholarship helped them. Then, when they have the opportunity, they can set up funds with the Foundation, too. Through this process, we will continue the concept of giving back to the community!”
A charitable bequest in your will, like the Penns have planned in their estate, is one way to leave a lasting legacy in our community.
How does it work?
- You can establish any type of fund through various planned gift options.
- Receive a FREE Estate Planning Guide on our website at hccf.org to successfully plan your estate and avoid accidental disinheritance.
- Once you make a commitment through your estate plan, let us know so we can welcome you as a member of the Legacy Giving Society.