Pay It Forward

By Naperville Magazine
Appears in the March 2026 issue.

Create a legacy by setting up a scholarship fund to invest in the next generation

When Alex Lowrey graduated from East Aurora High School in the 1970s, he received a scholarship from what was then called the Aurora Foundation, which helped him pay for college. He would go on to get his undergraduate degree in chemistry and later a Ph.D. in biology. He’s a professor at the University of Northern Georgia.

He now had the means to help others with their education and decided that setting up a scholarship for a student at East Aurora High School was the way to go. “I always wanted to give back,” he says. “But I didn’t know exactly what it would be or how to do it the right way. So I went back to the organization that helped me out.”

He learned from a quick online search that the Community Foundation of Fox River Valley (it changed its name from the Aurora Foundation in 2006) was still giving out scholarships to area students—and specialized in helping donors create memorial funds. “It didn’t take long for me to realize this is what I was looking to do,” he says. “They have all the tools and knowledge to help me set up a scholarship for students at East Aurora, which I did in memory of my parents.”

The Richard C. & Ollie R. Lowrey Memorial Scholarship Fund awards a scholarship to a student from East Aurora each year, and Lowrey couldn’t be happier. “They had all the models to use so that they could help me set it up just how I wanted, and have all the benefits that come from working with a big organization like them,” he says.

The Community Foundation of Fox River Valley certainly has experience handing out scholarships. Since its founding in 1948, it has awarded more than $30.7 million in scholarships and now administers more than 500 scholarships in the Fox River valley each year. The number of awards has increased by 139 percent since 2021, and in the spring of 2025, the organization distributed a record $3.4 million to 569 students for use over the next four years.

Julie Christman, the CFFRV’s president and CEO, says the foundation can work with individuals to create a scholarship or charitable contribution that best aligns with their interests. “Sometimes they entrust us with their dollars, and say, ‘OK, you know the community well, so we want your help in connecting with people in the community’—they use us as a resource to help them distribute dollars in the community,” she says. “More and more people are setting up scholarships as a way to focus their giving.”

Scholarships vary widely, from the amounts students receive to the eligibility requirements and where the money is spent.

“We can help make those decisions on their behalf,” Christman says. “Sometimes they set up very specific criteria, and we work with them to identify students who meet them. It’s often a career path that individuals are interested in helping move forward. So a nurse may fund a scholarship for nursing students, or a retired teacher wants to set up funds to help those in the teaching profession. But others are people who really value education and want to support the next generation in whatever field they choose.”

These scholarships help many first-generation college students—and an increasing number help those attending trade schools—and can be the deciding factor in whether a student continues their education.

“It’s so heartwarming for us that we get to work with people who really care about education,” Christman says. “They really want to see the next generation have some of those same opportunities that they had. It feels like such an honor to carry out their legacies and be able to help them feel like they’re making a difference.”

The Community Fund of Fox Valley helps donors with the fiscal issues that come with charitable giving, such as tax implications, but, perhaps most importantly, the organization works to publicize the scholarships to ensure students apply for the aid. “We want every scholarship to have a good pool of applicants available so that our donors feel like we’ve done our due diligence,” says Beth Cristoffel, the Community Fund’s director of scholarship. “That means getting to know the guidance counselors and going to schools and sitting at a cafeteria table and answering questions. We want really qualified applicants that are deserving of the aid.”

The Community Fund, which serves the city of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County, awarded its first four scholarships ($150 each) in 1949. To start a scholarship fund now through the organization, a minimum of $5,000 is required for a non-endowed fund and $25,000 for an endowed fund. Planners can help donors choose their cause, select a fund type, and handle all the paperwork. Those who aren’t able to start their own funds can donate to the Community Foundation’s general fund or to specific scholarships that already have been created.

For Lowrey, even though it’s been decades since he lived in the area, he thought it was important to give back to the place that launched his career. “I wanted to support my high school because that was so important to me,” he says. “Plus, I’m still a Chicagoan. I’ll always be a Chicagoan no matter where I live.”

For the students, the financial awards can be life-changing. But so, too, is the feeling of support that comes from earning a scholarship. “I think winning the award can give kids such a boost of confidence,” Cristoffel says. “It shows that there are people who believe in them and that they are on the right path. It’s such a rewarding job to be a part of it all.”

To find out more about creating a scholarship fund, visit cffrv.org.

Photos: Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley. Illustration: iStock