Posted: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 12:00 am
The Lebanon Schools Foundation recently received a donation of $20,000 from Gene and Jeannette Hartl.
Half of the money will go to the Linn Gear Scholarship Fund, which supports scholarships for graduating seniors from Lebanon High School who wish to pursue a career in the industrial arts, such as construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, heavy equipment and diesel technologies, machine tooling, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical and welding.
The other half of the donation will be put into the Scholarships Forever program, a general scholarship fund.
"The education of our children is probably the most important thing that we can do for the future of our country," Gene Hartl said, "and I think this is moving in that direction in supporting the scholarship program."
The Hartls have been making donations to the foundation for a few years now. Gene is retired from Linn Gear.
"The Hartls have been very supportive of the foundation's efforts to provide college scholarships to our local graduating seniors," said Dave McFetridge, president of the Lebanon Schools Foundation. "The funds they have chosen to support encourage students to consider a career in the industrial arts as well as other meaningful careers."
Members of the foundation board include Dennis Pearson, Kary Daniels and Julie Forrest.
"These are great college scholarship opportunities for our students," McFetridge said. "The Schools Foundation's goal is to build on these scholarship funds so that more and more of our local students are receiving the funds they need to get a college education. We encourage the people of Lebanon to support this goal. Over the past 10 years, with the community's support, we have provided about $200,000 in college scholarships."
"I think the Schools Foundation program is a very worthy cause," Gene Hartl said. "I'm only disappointed that there aren't more people who are aware of it and supporting it," Gene Hartl said.
If you would like to help the Foundation, contact McFetridge at 259-1201 or dmcfetridge@srbh.com.