Madison County Community Foundation

Loranda Trissel-Planalp and her family were surprised to learn that a fund that her great uncle opened as a legacy gift at the Madison County Community Foundation has nearly doubled in size and grown to nearly one million dollars since it was opened in 2006. The family assumed that the funds had already been distributed. What they did not realize is that when James “Bob” John and his wife, Phyllis, set up the fund, their goal was for it to make a significant impact in the lives of as many students as possible for years to come. They expressed to Madison County Community Foundation that they wanted to allow the fund to grow until it would be able to sustain itself and provide scholarship money for students whose families may struggle to send them to college.

Your generosity funds dreams that change lives and families.

A group of seventeen young men sat in a room when their leader, Louis Jackson III, presented an idea that ultimately would help them overcome adversity and bring dreams to fruition. These young men are part of a group mentoring program in Madison County, Indiana called RISE Academy through an organization called The Village – Anderson. The young men had been gathering together for several months. The volunteer mentors had done their best to facilitate the young men learning together and coming together as a unit. Unfortunately, the older and younger boys were struggling to gel, resulting in behavioral challenges.