Maycie Hestand, Great Bend native, has her sights set on medical school and an eventual return to her hometown community. It will be her way of giving back to the people who are helping her achieve her educational goals.
Hestand is one of 40 local students who has earned an Archer Scholarship through the Golden Belt Community Foundation (GBCF). The fund was established at the GBCF in 2013 and recently surpassed $100,000 in scholarships awarded.
Since 2015 when she was a freshman, Hestand has received $6,500 from the Archer family. The fund is unique because it is renewable for up to four years; it has awarded $132,000 so far.
Hestand’s undergraduate major is human biology with psychology emphasis at the University of Kansas. She is now a senior at KU and has aspirations to be a surgeon.
“I have always hoped to be able to return to Great Bend after school so that I can help my community,” said Hestand, 21, a Great Bend High School graduate. “Because of the Golden Belt Community Foundation and the Archer family, I am continuing my education.
“I am looking forward to returning home to help my community just as it is helping me now,” she added. “I could not be more grateful.”
The Archer sisters were lifelong Ellinwood residents. Vida, Dorothy and Vivian Archer were born in the early 1900s; their parents were Charles Quincy and Margaret Ewers Archer.
Sue Cooper, GBCF program officer, said “the Archer family had great heart and faith, and a real sense of community. The sisters cared deeply about students being able to attain higher education.
“They had the vision of endowing a scholarship fund that would perpetually assist local students with the increasing costs of attending college,” Cooper continued. “Clearly, they valued the opportunities post-secondary education could provide.”
Hestand caught the eyes of scholarship review committee members because “Maycie is a standout student who has maintained a strong grade point average during her years at KU,” Cooper said. “You can tell by her grades she is working diligently to get into medical school.”
Anyone interested in starting a scholarship fund may contact Cooper by calling 620-792-3000.
The GBCF manages several scholarship funds established by local individuals and families. Scholarships can reward personal and academic achievement; memorialize a loved one; carry on a family tradition; or support a favorite team.
“Each scholarship fund has its own unique criteria for selecting recipients,” Cooper noted. “These could include academic achievement, financial need, educational and career goals, and community involvement.”
For more information, visit www.goldenbeltcf.org/scholarships. The GBCF anticipates having scholarship applications available by mid-December.
At nearly $23 million in total assets and more than 180 funds under management, the Golden Belt Community Foundation has been connecting people who care to causes that matter since 1996. Golden Belt Community Foundation exists to provide non-profit organizations in central Kansas with a permanent source of support and to serve as a vehicle for charitable giving for donors. GBCF serves the counties of Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford. For more information about Golden Belt Community Foundation, call (620) 792-3000 or visit their website at www.goldenbeltcf.org.