Jacob Martinez, a 2023 graduate of Cassville High School, has received the JD Riddle Educational Trust scholarship, administered by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

Martinez, the son of Maria and Filipe Mendoza, will attend Missouri Southern State University this fall, where he plans to pursue a degree in secondary education.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunities that this scholarship has provided me — not only will I be able to further my education, but I’ll be able to reach my future goals and help many communities around me,” Martinez said.

The JD Riddle Education Trust Fund was established by the Cassville school district in 2020 to benefit graduating seniors of Cassville High School who intend to pursue a career in K-12 education. The $5,000 award is renewable for up to three additional years.

The CFO and its regional affiliate foundations hold about 480 scholarship funds, established by generous donors to help students from across central and southern Missouri achieve their goals of higher education. The application period for the 2024–25 school year will open Jan. 1, 2024, and run through mid-March. For more information, visit cfozarks. org/scholarships.

Founded in 1973, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks is marking its 50th anniversary in 2023 as the region’s largest public charitable foundation serving a network of donors, regional affiliate foundations — including the Cassville Community Foundation — and nonprofit partners across central and southern Missouri through its mission of resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership.