Berger Health Foundation and Pickaway Community Foundation Receive Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Grant
Circleville, OH - April 7, 2009 - The Berger Health Foundation and the Pickaway County Community Foundation recently partnered to accept a $30,000 grant from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee.
From left are Tiffin Barthelmas, MBA student; Michelle Bone-Minor, MBA student; Larry Thornhill, Berger Health System President; Scott Braden, Fifth Third Vice President and Circleville Branch Manager; Glenda Mullet, Pickaway County Community Foundation; Deborah Beyer, Fifth Third Vice President of Marketing; Tiffany Bauman, MBA student and Susanne Hess, MBA student.
The grant will be used to promote higher education opportunities for women in Pickaway County. A portion of the funding will be used to provide scholarship dollars for women who are participating in the newly established Berger Health System/Ohio University Professional Master's of Business Administration program. The remainder of the grant will be used to establish an endowment fund within the Pickaway County Community Foundation to build sustaining support for Pickaway County women interested in higher education opportunities within the healthcare field.
"Berger Health System is constantly striving to develop our team as we plan for the future. The creation of the on-site MBA program allows us to offer our managers continuing education without leaving the community," said Larry Thornhill, Berger Health System President. "The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Grant and established endowment fund will help to ensure the growth and success of the program and financial resources to the students."
Deborah Beyer, Vice President of Marketing for Fifth Third Bank, said Fifth Third strives to partner with local organizations to promote education. "Fifth Third Bank has always had a good relationship with Berger Heath System, and we believe in giving back to the community," Beyer said
"This grant from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund underscores our commitment to financial education and responsibility. The women currently enrolled in Berger's MBA program are certainly learning those skills," Beyer added.
Glenda Mullet of the Pickaway County Community Foundation said they are honored to partner with Berger Health Foundation on this worthwhile project. "Both foundations are well aware of the importance of promoting educational opportunities, enabling local students to continue employment and also remain in Pickaway County," Mullet added.
The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund was established in 1908 by Jacob G. Schmidlapp, visionary businessman and president of a Fifth Third Bank predecessor institution, to memorialize his daughter who was killed in a tragic automobile accident. Today, the fund supports organizations that are committed to empowering women and improving their lives, and concentrates on making gifts that support women in the areas of science and math.
For more information about the Berger Health Foundation, call 740.420-8209, and for more information regarding the Pickaway County Community Foundation, call 740.477-6207.