A generous couple from northeast Wisconsin who worked hard to succeed at their careers have left behind a $2.4 million gift to a Shawano Area Community Foundation (SACF) charitable fund that, by 2019, will be awarding $100,000 a year in college scholarships to six Gillett High School graduates and five from Suring High School.
Kenneth and Loriane Dittman, farm kids, who spent their reteriment in Gillett, have already provided smaller scholarships in the past. i
Gillett Superintendent Todd Carlson said they are grateful.
“For our students, this is just a fantasic oppertunity. My heart goes out to the Dittman’s, who thought so much of education.”
Loraine Dittman established a permanent endowment with SACF in 2007, putting in place a giving plan that the couple, who had no children, had decided on after attending a financial planning seminar.
Kenneth died in 2001.
The money will be invested by the Community Foundation so that the principal grows steadily while also providing a permanent asset source for scholarships to be awarded to students at the two schools in the Dittmans’ names.
The couple set it up so 60% of the fund’s proceeds support scholarships in Gillett and 40% in Suring.
Both of the districts are smaller in size.
Gillett High School’s total enrollment for all four grades is 156. Suring’s four-year high school has 119 total students.
Carlson said what makes this award special, is that they both worked for everything they had.
“I think the Dittmans were someone who really appreciated education early on, who struggled to have an education. They wanted to create that oppertunity for someone to go on.”
Kenneth grew up in Gillett and ten worked nights scrubbing brewery tanks in Milwaukee to pay his way through the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Loraine, grew up in Colby, and helped pay her nursing school expenses by babysitting.
The fund is expected to grow in time.
Starting in spring of 2018 at Gillett High School, the fund will award three one-time $4,000 scholarships to students attending four-year colleges and two $3,000 scholarships to students at two- or four-year colleges.
In 2019, that will grow to four students each potentially receiving $12,000 in scholarships over four years of college and two getting $6,000 for two years, for a total of $60,000 awarded per year.
“This is a need and it is something that small schools struggle with” Carlson added.
Carlson also stated that all sized schools have students with financial difficulties.
In Suring, two graduates will be awarded one-time scholarships of $3,000 and four of $1,500 this coming spring.
In 2019, the fund will award scholarships of $10,000 over four years to three graduates and $5,000 over two years to two graduates.
That will total $40,000 awarded per year.
Eligibility requirements for the scholarships to be administered by both schools call for graduating seniors attending a four-year college or two-year college or technical college.
It will also require financial need, a history of community involvement and a minimum 3.0 GPA in the last two semesters, or 2.5 GPA for students planning to attend technial college.
