Cook Family Foundation

It’s the beginning of the 2024-25 school year in the Shiawassee region and that means it’s also time for some area high school seniors to learn more about becoming a Wolverine!

Fifty-eight of Shiawassee County region’s most academically accomplished high school seniors have been nominated for scholarships to the University of Michigan by the Cook Family Foundation. One of these students will be selected to receive a four-year, full-tuition, scholarship from the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook Scholarship administered by the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. 

In order to assist them with their college selection, forty-three of the nominees recently attended an overnight trip to the University of Michigan. There they had the opportunity to meet with admission officers, take a tour of the campus and stadium, attend an actual UM class, and spend time with students from the Shiawassee County area presently enrolled at the University of Michigan.

“We want to make sure the leaders and the best among local high school students seriously consider the University of Michigan for the next level of education – and our annual trip to campus allows students to experience a first-hand look,” said Foundation Executive Director Tom Cook.  “We are committed to the academic success of local students and to building partnerships with our public schools and our state’s oldest public university.”

Each of the nominees will receive at least a $5,000 scholarship to attend the University of Michigan. In addition to the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook scholarship process, the Cook Family Foundation provides a scholarship to any student from the greater Shiawassee region with a 3.5 GPA or higher who attends any of the three campuses of the University of Michigan.  

If they apply and are admitted to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the following students will be considered for the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook scholarship: from Byron: Zerik Crawford-Porter, Emma Davis, and Myleigh Rohner; from Chesaning: Karma Crandell, Truman Danek, Eliott Keck, Jeffrey Luce, Joslyn McGough, Natalie Pierce, Caleb Walker, and Skylar Wissinger; from Corunna: Jack Challender, Robert Donley, Logan Fox, Alan Mrva, and Jaxon Strauch; from Durand: Whitley Byrd, Timothy Halleaux, Joseph Maciak, and Logan Schubart; from Laingsburg: Kaitlyn Laing, Evelyn Logghe, Andrew Park, Felix Ramirez, Emily Rathka, and Emma West; from Morrice: Mackenzie Botimer and Isabel Tribley; from New Lothrop: Alexis Andres, Kyle Gillie, Rylee Handley, Matthew Hughes, and Ashlyn Orr; from Ovid-Elsie: Javen Belill, Riley Clark, Brayden Gruesbeck, Corbyn Janes, Jessica Kozlowski, Clayton Powell, Kathryn Thornton, Tryce Tokar, Abigail Triantaflos, Norah Wilcox, and Joseph Zuniga; from Owosso: Charles Agnew, Addison Collard, Simon Erfourth, Owen Feldpausch, Nicholas McCurdy, Matthew Shattuck, and Makani Tenoria; and from Perry: Robert Brown, Jocelyn Hessling, Will Loos, Tessa Lucas, Jordyn Pangborn, Johnathan Schmidtfranz, and Hazel Stone.

This is the twentieth year of the Bruce and Jacqueline Cook scholarship, which is funded entirely by its namesakes’ endowment.  Past recipients of the Bruce and Jackie Cook Scholarship have included:  Quinn Skarich from Owosso in 2024, Emily Smith from Chesaning in 2023, Dillan Morell from New Lothrop in 2022, Elizabeth Tolrud from Owosso in 2021, Mason Collard from Owosso and Kyah Ribble from Perry in 2020, Autumn Zwiernik from Laingsburg in 2019, Tyson Moore from Corunna in 2018, Elizabeth Hoornstra from Chesaning in 2017, Mitchell Lawrence from Byron in 2016, Nick Miller from Laingsburg in 2015, Nolan Wendling from New Lothrop in 2014, Emily Feuka from Perry in 2013, Sam Whaley from Perry in 2012, Adam Stewart from Laingsburg in 2011, Valerie Micol from Byron in 2010, Adam Dingens from Corunna in 2009, Randy Piper from Owosso in 2008, Dan Frechtling from Perry in 2007 and Kendra Frye from Owosso in 2006.

For assistance applying to UM, or for more information on scholarships, contact the Foundation.

The Cook Family Foundation announces seven grant awards to expand the capacity and effectiveness of local organizations to better serve the residents of Shiawassee County.  The two largest grants – $70,000 to the United Way of Genesee County (serving Shiawassee County) and $50,000 to the Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership (SEDP) – will be matched by the organizations themselves.  

These two capacity building grants will expand assistance to community-based nonprofits, local governments, and private businesses in their efforts to improve the community.  Both are based on cooperative efforts to bring together local stakeholders to increase impact.  The other five grants will improve facilities, equipment, or programs that directly serve Shiawassee residents.  

“We believe in the power of local groups to create a diverse, healthy, and thriving community,” said Tom Cook, Executive Director of the Cook Family Foundation. “Our goal is to help them best use their resources, and leverage more funds where possible, to carry out their missions.”  Each of the grants awarded will be matched by other donations, initiate new revenue generating activities, and/or will help bring in funds from outside Shiawassee County.  

The United Way of Genesee County (serving Shiawassee County) has been working with local groups and employers in Shiawassee County for the last six years to respond to emergency needs, provide safety and security to vulnerable residents, and promote early childhood educational success.  A half-time staff person has coordinated these efforts. This $70,000 grant over the next two years, will enable the United Way to create a full-time position to better coordinate the delivery of basic needs, support local nonprofits, maintain a robust volunteer resource center, and promote corporate social responsibility and employee giving. 

“Shiawassee County is a special community and this matching grant to create a full-time dedicated team member will allow us to advance work with our partners in very measurable ways,” said Jamie Gaskin, CEO of the United Way of Genesee County. “We are excited about being more involved with addressing food insecurity, working with the unhoused community and building resources to support struggling families.”

The Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership (SEDP) grant will enable this public-private partnership to continue to assist local governments and community-based nonprofits apply for grants from a variety of sources. In the first year of the initiative, SEDP helped bring in $4.69 million in new grants to Shiawassee County. This complements other efforts by SEDP to coordinate private investment with local land use and development initiatives to support well-planned growth. 

In total, these seven grants from the Cook Family Foundation equal $274,000 and include the following grants to specific local organizations:  

SafeCenter – A $44,000 grant for the repair of a driveway and drainage system that currently causes flooding of the driveway and impacts to facilities.  The grant will be matched in part by the SafeCenter’s funds and will enable the organization to better support the SafeCenter’s clients and staff that share the site. Special attention will be paid to use green infrastructure to minimize the amount of stormwater.   

Shiawassee Family YMCA – A $45,000 grant to help the Y upgrade their exercise equipment for families and adult members. The grant will be used to leverage other grants and gifts for equipment as the Y remodels its facility to better serve all families, especially youth from infant to high school.

Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts – A $40,000 grant to update lights and audio technology. This grant will leverage a grant from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) to upgrade the network and video monitoring system. These improvements will enhance the quality of productions, save energy, and lower operation costs. 

Shiawassee Arts Center – A $15,000 grant to partner with the Friends of the Shiawassee River and others to provide river-related art experiences including an “Upcycle Art in the Park” to repurpose trash collected during the Friends annual river clean-up.  

Great Start Preschool Scholarship – A $10,000 grant to the Shiawassee Regional Education Service District will allow for the continued assistance to families who need help in affording preschool. These funds are more than matched by donations from the United Way, Raise Up Shiawassee donations on Giving Tuesday, and other contributions from service clubs, businesses and individuals. 

More information on the Cook Family Foundation’s grant process can be found on our Grants page.