COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
SERVES PROMOTES RESPONDS
Connecting generosity with meaningful causes for nearly
50 years
Photo by Rick Myers
is proud to offer the
Margaret V. Eckerberg Memorial Scholarship
Honoring a life of service. Supporting the next generation.
Margaret Eckerberg devoted her time, talents, and heart to the Gering community. As a dedicated secretary at Gering High School, she was part of the school community that helped students build their futures. Through countless volunteer hours with Firefighter Ministry, she supported first responders who serve others in times of need.
Education was also part of Margaret’s own journey. She attended Nebraska Western College and Chadron State College, earning her bachelor’s degree in education. Her involvement with Central Church of Christ, Gering High School, and Firefighter Ministry reflected her commitment to helping others.
The Margaret Eckerberg Memorial Scholarship is sponsored by the Firefighter Ministry, and honors that commitment by supporting a Gering High School graduate attending Western Nebraska Community College who is pursuing a career in education or as a First Responder.
Your gift will help a future educator or first responder take the next step toward a life of service—carrying Margaret’s legacy forward through the people and communities they will serve.
Please join us in honoring Margaret’s memory with a donation to her memorial scholarship.
About the Scholarship:
For Gering High School graduates pursuing a career in Education or First Responder at Western Nebraska Community College
Firefighter Ministry will award 1 scholarshis, payable to Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC), with final approval of the OTCF Scholarship Committee.
Eligibility, Application, and Selection Process:
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Available to Gering High School graduating seniors planning to attend WNCC the following fall.
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Full-time Enrollment to study Education or First Responder Certificate will be required.
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Scholarship recipients must maintain a grade point average required to remain in good standing in the school in which they are enrolled.
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High school applicants are required to attach a copy of their official ACT/SAT scores and their current high school transcript to the online application
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The scholarship will be rescinded and awarded to a designated alternate if the recipient does not enroll as a full-time student for the first semester for which the scholarship is awarded.
Applicants must provide a short essay relating to goals, training path or plan, future employment interests and 3 letters of recommendation within the digital application.
Online applications must be submitted to the Oregon Trail Community Foundation by April 1st. All applications will be reviewed by the OTCF Scholarship Committee, with the finalists forwarded on to the Firefighter Ministry.
The deadline for application and supporting documents is April 1st. Recipients will be announced in May.
Margaret Eckerberg
Margaret Viola Eckerberg was born to Thornton and Viola Bulman on December 17, 1967, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska at West Nebraska General Hospital. Margaret grew up in McGrew. She attended McGrew School before moving to Bayard High School, which she graduated from in 1986. After graduating high school, she attended college at Nebraska Western College and Chadron State College. She graduated from there with her Bachelors in education.
She married Philip Eckerberg on May 2, 1992. Together they had five beautiful children: Brooke, Brittany, Brianna, Matthew, and Victoria.
She was a devoted secretary at Gering High School. She was also heavily involved in the community, most notably with Central Church of Christ, Gering High School, and Firefighter Ministry.
She is survived by her husband, Philip Eckerberg, children Brooke (Josh), Brittany (Wyatt), Brianna (Andrew), Matthew (Chris) and Victoria, her two grandsons Walker and Colter, sister, Faye Miller, and niece, Meagan Eitzen. She is also survived by many other cousins and other extended family members.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Thornton and Viola Bulman, and infant sisters, Marjorie Sue and Mary Kaye Bulman.
Don & Dian Roth Scholarship
Scholarship Recipients:
2018 Jaelynn Muhr - Mitchell ($1,000)
Victoria Schwartz - Gering ($1,000)
2019 Hayden Higgins ($1,000)
Quinton Janacek - Gering ($1,000)