The Columbus Foundation Awards $500,000 in Grants to Bolster Central Ohio Food Pantries

The Columbus Foundation is seeking college and graduate students and recent college graduates who have an interest in the nonprofit sector to apply to the 2026 Summer Fellowship Program.

The Isabelle Ridgway Foundation, a Supporting Foundation of The Columbus Foundation, has awarded five grants totaling $145,000 to organizations dedicated to strengthening the quality of life of older adults in central Ohio.

The fund was established in 1999 in memory of Cardington businessman, John M. Stone, by his wife, Bertha A. Stone, and daughter, Ella J. Wertz. Born in Kenton, Ohio in 1902, Mr. Stone graduated from Kenton High School and the College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University. After working at pharmacies in Tiffin and Newark, Ohio, he and his wife purchased Stone's Drug Store in Cardington in 1936 and operated it until 1984. Mr. Stone was active in many civic and community organizations throughout his life including the Rotary Club of Cardington, Cardington Masonic Lodge, First United Methodist Church, and Morrow County Hospital. He also served as treasurer of the Village of Cardington, and director of Citizen's Bank in Cardington and First National Bank in Mt. Gilead. During his many years as a businessman, Mr. Stone inspired numerous high school students who worked for him by his example of hard work and involvement in the community. Mr. Stone expressed his belief that many students are overlooked for scholarships that do not have an "A" average, even though they show consistency in schoolwork and reflect good community citizenship. This fund will be used to provide an annual scholarship to a graduating senior from Cardington-Lincoln High School (Ohio) who is pursuing a college education.

Friends and family established this fund in memory of Dr. Gregory I. Brooks, a physician who was active in the Dublin, Ohio community for more than two decades. Dr. Brooks served as team physician for Dublin City Schools, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of many students and their families. This fund supports annual scholarships for graduates of Dublin City Schools.

The scholarship was established to honor the memory and values of the Long and Twyford families. Bob and Geraldine were incredible role models from their early beginnings in West Virginia to their final days in Columbus, Ohio. Geri’s passion for learning continued as a graduate of Denison University to a successful teaching career with Bexley schools. A WWII Navy veteran, Bob passed away in 2011 and Geri in 2016 after celebrating her 90th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and former students from her fifth grade classes.

The scholarship provides financial assistance to graduating seniors from Federal Hocking Local Schools.

This fund was established by the children of Edward and Maxine Tracy to commemorate their parents’ lifelong interest in the visual arts. Annually it provides a scholarship to a graduate of Columbus Public Schools attending Mr. Tracy’s alma mater, Columbus College of Art and Design.

Mary Jo DeVleeschower was a native of South Bend, Indiana, born January 14th, 1941. She graduated in 1968 from Andrew Jackson High School in South Bend, and graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1972 with a degree in “special education.” Mary Jo taught at the Alexander Graham Bell School beginning in 1972 working with students who were hearing impaired. She attended the University of Southern California (John Tracy Clinic) and received her Master’s degree in 1978 from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a teacher at the Alexander Graham Bell School, Mary Jo worked through a grant with Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. for the Wole Language Program for the hearing impaired, publishing a related article in a national magazine. Mary Jo DeVleeschower loved the children with whom she worked, and poured her whole heart into her work. She had a special relationship with her students, demonstrated on the day of her memorial when some shared a tribute to her in American Sign Language. She further demonstrated her love and support for her students through the creation of the scholarship through her will.

This scholarship fund honors the memory and values of Sally Miller Ling, who passed away December 25, 1997 due to breast cancer. Sally taught school in Wisconsin, Michigan, Brazil, and Connecticut, and wherever she taught, she earned the love and respect of her colleagues and her students. This scholarship provides awards to deserving students who are graduates of Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Ohio.