Establishing your own scholarship fund is another great way to support education in the Hastings school district. This is often done in partnership with District 200 directly. The Foundation works closely with District 200 on several things and greatly supports those individuals and businesses that create scholarships in partnership with them.

If you prefer, however, to create your scholarship fund in partnership with the Foundation directly, we welcome the opportunity to work with you. Please contact the Foundation office to learn more about the process.

Richard J. Larson and Leone M. Keene Scholarship Funds

With a gift in October 2009, Richard J. Larson, a retired District 200 educator and elementary principal, established the Richard J. Larson Scholarship and Leone M. Keene Scholarship Fund. Each year, separate scholarships will be awarded from this Fund as follows: (1) Richard J. Larson Scholarship and (2) Leone M. Keene Scholarship. With the Leone M. Keene Scholarship, Mr. Larson is honoring an individual who was very instrumental in his life, including helping him succeed in his passion to educate the students of District 200. The purpose of the Fund is to provide scholarships to qualifying students. The scholarships will be awarded each May at the District 200 annual Scholarship Banquet to one or more seniors graduating from Independent School District 200. In selecting the recipient, the following non-binding guidelines apply:

• Any information offered by the applicant regarding the applicant's need for financial assistance in pursuing post-high school education will be considered; and
• The recipient need not have an "A" grand average, as recipients with a "B" or "C" grade average are preferred, so long as the recipient has the apparent potential to pursue and successfully complete a program of post-high school education.

For a copy of the scholarship application, contact Burl Dick of the Hastings High School, Career Center, 651-480-8128, and ask for a copy of the Local Scholarship application.

The Fund is intended to be a permanent endowment fund where donations will accumulate perpetually and generate annual income to support scholarship grants.

Miller-Oys Memorial Scholarship Fund

With a generous gift in November 2007, a Hastings High School graduate worked with the Foundation to establish the Miller-Oys Memorial Fund. The purpose of this Fund is to give scholarships to one or more seniors graduating from District 200 who are planning to pursue a career in nursing or a degree in science or engineering.

The Fund is intended to be a permanent endowment fund where donations will accumulate perpetually and generate annual income to support scholarship grants. The Fund was established in memory of Superintendent Roy Miller and civic leader John Oys, both of whom had a profound impact on the Donor's education. The Donor and HPSF invite your donations to supplement this Fund. If interested in contributing to the Miller-Oys Fund, please contact Jean Langlais at (651) 271-3542. HPSF works in partnership with District 200 to adminster this scholarship. For a copy of the scholarship application, contact Burl Dick of the Hastings High School, Career Center, 651-480-8128, and ask for a copy of the Local Scholarship application. The annual awards will be announced at the District 200 annual Awards Night program.

Tom Keene Memorial Scholarship Fund

A group of Hastings residents wanted to create a scholarship fund in memory of their friend, Tom Keene. Tom Keene was a Minnesota State High School Wrestling Champion who represented Hastings, Minnesota. At the age of 28 with a wife and three children, Tom was paralyzed in an accident, which confined him to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic. In April 1997, Tom fought his last battle. It is not Tom's dying that his friends wish to memorialize but rather his "living!" To help fulfill their vision, Tom's friends established a donor advised fund with the Hastings Public Schools Foundation. For several years, they held an annual golf tournament in honor of their friend with all proceeds going to their donor advised fund, which is held and invested by the Foundation.

Now, each year, a committee comprised of Tom's friends, directs the Foundation to make scholarship grants to qualifying seniors who are a member of the Hastings wrestling program (wrestler, cheerleader, manager or other support personnel) and who display in his or her relationship with the Hastings wrestling team an attribute characterized by the life of Tom Keene. The Foundation is pleased to partner with these individuals to help them fulfill their vision. For a copy of the Tom Keene Memorial Scholarship grant application and grant criteria, please contact the Hastings wrestling team coaches. The scholarships are awarded at the annual Hastings Wrestling Program Banquet.