Newtown Community Foundation Awards Nearly $25K In Scholarships – Patch
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NEWTOWN, PA — The Newtown Community Foundation has awarded nearly 40 scholarships, totaling $25,000 to students from Council Rock South and Council Rock North.
Forty students in the Council Rock School District are sharing in the scholarship grants through the foundation. The scholarships were awarded earlier this summer to graduates from the two high schools.
“As we benefit today from the legacy of the many generations of the people of Newtown who have gone before us, our hope is that generations of the people of Newtown still to come will benefit from the legacy we leave to them today,” said Rick Rogers, president of the board of-directors of Newtown Community Foundation.
Since its inception in 2004, NCF has awarded $275,000 in scholarships to students in the community.
In addition to scholarship funds, NCF also manages donor advised funds and agency endowment funds for donors who want to invest in the Newtown community.
The support of donors makes opportunities available for scholarships that are in both memorial and in honor of family, friends and community members.
“Newtown is a vibrant community with deep respect for its colonial roots. It is also a town with an eye on tomorrow. People who love Newtown are not only concerned with preserving its historical identity, but they want to ensure that it remains a caring community for generations to come,” said the foundation’s executive director.
Among this year’s winners is Fiona Reckner, a 2025 graduate of Council Rock South, who received this year’s Dick Rabberman memorial scholarship.
Reckner is continuing her education at Franklin & Marshall College where she will be studying pre-law and business and playing basketball for the Diplomats.
Fiona Reckner, the recipient of the Dick Rabberman memorial scholarship.
“It’s amazing,” she said of the scholarship. “It’s funny because my mom actually played for teams that Dick Rabberman helped coach. She said he was dedicated and committed to the community and he loved sports.”
At South, Reckner played soccer, was a member of four honor societies and was a standout varsity basketball player.
Delaney Matthews of Newtown Borough is this year’s winner of the Megan Longo Villanella Scholarship, which is given to a student graduating from Council Rock North High School who has played in varsity level sports and who has participated in the arts.
Matthew’s is a 2015 graduate of Council Rock High School North where she was a member of the swim team, the Travis Manion Foundation Club and four honor societies. She will be continuing her education at Penn State where she will study finance.
Delaney Matthews of Newtown Borough, the recipient of the Megan Longo Villanella Memorial Scholarship, with Megan’s parents, Connie and Derek Longo.
“I was really touched to be honored with a scholarship, especially one that has meaning for me. I’m also really lucky to have met the family and to have made that connection,” she said. “I obviously didn’t know Megan, but she really seemed to enjoy going to school and was involved in a lot of different things.”
Megan’s mother, who was on hand to present the scholarship, said listening to Delaney talk was like listening to her daughter.
Megan grew up in Bucks County and graduated from Council Rock High School. Among her many passions while growing up and attending high school was playing sports, particularly softball. Megan was a talented player and she loved the game. She later went on to play softball at Lafayette College while studying business and marketing.
“Megan was tragically killed when she was seven months pregnant so we lost our Megan and the baby. We were truly blessed and lucky that Megan had a wonderful husband, Jim,” said Megan’s mother. “We have a wonderful granddaughter who looks like her mother. She plays softball like her
mom. She is active in school. She is 10 years old and complains about school, but she goes because she knows it’s a good thing.”
Bella Bachtle is the recipient of the Steven Pennepacker Memorial Scholarship. She is a 2025 graduate of Council Rock North High School and will be furthering her education at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art where she will study art education.
The Pennepacker scholarship is presented to students at Council Rock North and South High Schools who excel in academic studies and participate in extracurricular activities and community service.
In 2004, the Newtown Community Foundation (NCF) officially incorporated and received its nonprofit charitable status meaning all funds invested are tax deductible to the donor. In 2005, the board decided to become a supporting organization of the Bucks County Foundation, a community foundation serving all of Bucks County since 1979.
“Newtown is a vibrant community with deep respect for its colonial roots. It is also a town with an eye on tomorrow. People who love Newtown are not only concerned with preserving its historical identity, but they want to ensure that it remains a caring community for generations to come,” said Mandy Mundy, the foundation’s executive director.
As a supporting organization, Newtown can offer the same range of funds, use the same guidelines, and avoid the administrative expenses of a larger organization. Early in 2005, Newtown Community Foundation received its first gift and invited the community to invest in the future of Newtown.
To learn more about the foundation and their efforts, contact Mandy Mundy, Executive Director or visit buckscountyfoundation.org.
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