BEDFORD – Vivienne Scarpellini, daughter of Amy and Anthony Scarpellini, has been named Lawrence County Community Foundation’s 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. Vivienne is a Bedford North Lawrence School senior who hopes to major in psychology with a minor in music. She has not yet determined the university she will attend, but the scholarship offers many possibilities.
Vivienne responded to the news by sharing, “When I first opened the letter telling me I had been selected, I was completely surprised. The Lilly Scholarship had always seemed like an urban legend going through high school, but it is now about to help me with the toughest part of college. Receiving this honor means so much and fills me with pride. I am beyond words and so incredibly thankful for the Lilly Endowment, the Lawrence County Community Foundation, and my teachers, family, and friends for having faith in me.”
An educator shared, “What separates her from other students is how she carries herself through her many accomplishments. Vivienne is a humble and kind individual who does not boast about her achievements but works hard each day to be an exemplary student and person.”
Vivienne takes personal initiative to help and support her peers. Her humility is commendable. Her joy resonates with many.
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment needed for four years of undergraduate study on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Vivienne will also be able to participate in the Lilly Scholar Network (LSN), which connects current scholars and alumni with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. The scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and Indiana Humanities.
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-98 school year. Since then, over $490 million in grant funding has supported more than 5,300 Indiana students who have received scholarships through the program. The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana, to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities, and to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.
The Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. In keeping with the founder’s wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment. Founded in 1948, ICI is the collective voice for the state’s twenty-nine private, nonprofit colleges and universities. Participating in this exceptional program is an honor for the Lawrence County Community Foundation. We are impressed each year by the caliber of students here in Lawrence County. These young women and men have positively influenced change by serving their schools and community. It is heartening to know we have young leaders devoted to Indiana.
