The Lion Co-Op is the latest recipient of a donation from the 100 Women Who Care Jasper/Newton chapter.
On Tuesday, the organization donated a check for $6,200 to the group, which addresses food insecurity and hygiene so Missouri Southern State University students can focus on their education.
100 Women Who Care is an international organization of women who gather four times a year for a one-hour meeting, learn about local charities and each donate a $100 check to a 501(c)3 charity that the group selects.
For more information, send a message to 100wwcjn@gmail.com, visit the Facebook page: 100 Women Who Care Jasper/Newton, or call (417) 529.3682.
Applications to join the Ozarks Teacher Corps, a special scholarship program to recruit teachers for rural school districts, will be accepted beginning on Jan. 1.
Ozarks Teacher Corps scholarships are among the 450 scholarships totaling $1.8 million that are administered annually by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
One of the current members of the Ozarks Teacher Corps is 2022 Webb City High School graduate Daunte Smiles. He is currently studying education at Missouri Southern State University and plans to teach elementary school.
Teacher-education students attending MSSU, Missouri State University, Drury University and Southeast Missouri State University may apply to join the Corps, which offers a $4,000 scholarship, renewable for a second year.
Scholarship recipients must agree to teach for at least three years upon graduation at a rural school district in the region. Under the program’s loose definition, any district outside a major city, including Webb City, is considered rural.
“We often find that Ozarks Teacher Corps participants teach in the same districts from which they graduated,” says Aaron Scott, director of communication for CFO. “That’s the program working as intended!”
“At the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, we believe that schools are the hearts of rural communities,” said Beth Hersh, director of scholarships for the CFO. “Through place-based education, Ozarks Teacher Corps members can help their future students develop deeper connections to the people, places and experiences that make their communities special.”
More information about applying for CFO scholarships can be found online.
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is the region’s largest public charitable foundation. It serves donors, nonprofit partners and 55 regional affiliates – including the Joplin Regional Community Foundation – with $635 million in assets under management as of June 30, 2026.
In July, Steve and Cindy Head established a fund to encourage other donors to help renovate downtown Webb City. The fund, including their $10,000 initial investment, is held by the Joplin Regional Community Foundation.
The CFO’s mission is to improve the quality of life for everyone in central and southern Missouri through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership. Learn more at cfozarks.org.
