Mona Waibel
SHAF Board Member
Living my life in this small town has made me care about what happens to Sweet Home. Yes, I am retired now and still carrying on with my dedication to the Sweet Home Alumni Foundation (SHAF). Of course, we just finished another high school graduation in Sweet Home. Such a grand group of graduates! But what actually will their future be if they don?t have financial help to finish their life dreams. Working as I did in education, I really see the value of some kind of formal job training. It would be in the best interests of all the graduates, to have their tuition paid to any accredited college of their choosing. That of course is the dream of the Alumni Foundation.
Our dream is to have a fund large enough, that it would not be depleted by giving out scholarship money each year to every student who completed SHHS. Not an impossible dream at all. All we need is many of you to believe in this Alumni Fund.
As my life is winding down, I personally think about what I can do to make this dream a possibility. First we need to have the money. What I plan to do with my part of the dream is quite simple. I plan to leave a legacy to the fund in my will. What I want to do, is to have a scholarship given in my family name, each year to a deserving student.
What do I consider my name? I graduated in 1948 from Sweet Home Union High School under the name, Ramona Hyer. Of course, today I am known as Mona Waibel. I am not sure what is the best way to leave this fund, in Waibel-Hyer; or perhaps I need to think of my daughter who is Dawn Dalton now and leave the fund in Waibel-Dalton. My son-in-law, Bob Dalton is also a board member of SHAF. They both are SHHS graduates. Dawn Dalton teaches first grade at Foster school. Two of my grandchildren have finished high school here. We now have a family legacy situation.
Another way to look at it, my brother Tom Hyer lives here, and he and I could work out a gift for the Hyer family. Interesting how it works, do you see the picture now.
The amount of money is not out of reach for most of us. For a minimum of $15,000, or real property; a family scholarship may be obtained. And just think about it, leaving something in your will to SHAF may mean our whole student body of SHHS have a shining chance to go on to college and never worry about it. They will know from the time they are children, “I am going to college.” And that will be that, no financial worries about HOW!
And we don’t have to give the money or property right now, and the amount could of course be more than I mentioned. That is what a Legacy is for. I know my children don’t need this help any longer, but our SHHS students do. Of course, we won’t turn down any donations that come right now, because in the meantime, we are giving scholarships to as many deserving students as possible. Actually we could always use the donations “NOW”.
There are many families like myself that have been here for generations. I feel
I owe something to this community and intend to help in the best way I can. I think of the Frank Coulter family, they had a large family and many are still in this community; the Rice family pioneered this community; I think of the Stocks and all they’ve done for Sweet Home; I remember the Horners and the jobs they have given us; the Geil family have been here for generations, the White family gave us an industry; the Smiths gave our community years of service; solid families came from the Betts, Huffords and Jeppsen families; the Melchers definitely are supportive of SHAF; the families of Riggs, of David Horner and of Keith Gabriel are already giving to this fund; and I could go on for hours with names of good families. If you think I overlooked yours, give me a call about your own family and their belief in Sweet Home.
For those families that have one another to talk to, and plan a family Legacy Donation, I can’t think of a better thing to do for our SHHS class of 2005 and others that are coming too.
Ben Dahlenburg is SHAF president; Coreen Melcher serves as secretary; and of course there is me, Mona Waibel, SHAF board member. But remember at my age, I don’t always remember all the details as well as these younger SHAF members. Just call any of us and we will be glad to explain more of how this works.
Does this dream sound like something you would be willing to help? It is a family dream for all of us. Give us a call, we’ll be waiting to hear from you. My number is 541-367-3803.