Richard E. & Ann R. McWethy Scholarship Endowment Fund Grant

Richard E. & Ann R. McWethy Scholarship Endowment Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
Last Updated: January 16, 2026

Summary

Easily learn more about the Richard E. & Ann R. The next deadline for this grant is Wed, 20 Jan 2027.

Overview

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois. We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation. Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community. The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois. Scholarship Program Scholarships are available to local students who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America on a full-time basis. Richard E. & Ann R. McWethy Scholarship Endowment Fund This fund provides scholarships for residents of Kendall County, Illinois. Ann Riford McWethy (1919-2019) was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1919 to Lulu and Otis Riford. She grew up in Canton, south of Boston. After four years at prep school at Northfield, Massachusetts, Mrs. McWethy graduated from Green Mountain College in Vermont. As a youth, she played tennis and taught swimming and canoeing as a counselor at Camp Waukeela in New Hampshire. She enjoyed other sports as well, including downhill and cross-country skiing. After college she worked as a legal secretary in Boston. She met her future husband Richard E. McWethy at a naval officers’ dance at Harvard University. He knew that “she was the one” right away. They were married a few months later in January of 1944 in her home. Richard (Dick) McWethy (1921-2014) was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois. He spent his summers at the family cottage near South Haven on Lake Michigan enjoying swimming, sailing and tennis. He graduated first in his class from West Aurora High School in 1939. He then enrolled at Caltech in Pasadena, majoring in engineering. Mr. McWethy was on active duty with the Naval Reserve when school was not in session. He spent one summer aboard the 110-foot schooner “Volador,” sailing patrol one hundred to one hundred-fifty miles offshore watching for Japanese submarines. After graduation, he was called for active duty in the Navy and was sent to Harvard University for communications training. Eventually, he served on Attu, at the end of the Aleutian Island chain in Alaska. There he worked in communications with code machines while they launched bombing runs over northern Japan. He noted that the weather reports on Attu ended every day with “wind gusts to 60k.” The couple had three children – Merrill, Peggy and Lee.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants must complete their high school education during, at the conclusion of, or prior to the current academic year as follows. High School Diploma from a public, private, parochial, or online schoolHome-Schooled High School EducationGeneral Educational Development (GED) certificate or state certificate Applicants must attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America during the upcoming academic year.Applicants must pursue studies (career/technical/vocational, undergraduate, graduate, etc.) on a full-time basis during the upcoming academic year. Applicants must maintain a permanent address located within the Community Foundation Scholarship Program service area. A permanent address is usually a parent’s home or the address listed on a driver’s license, voters registration card, FAFSA, etc. It is most likely NOT a temporary on/off college campus address.