The Sharon Pinnick Educational Fund at the Hendricks County Community Foundation (HCCF) recently awarded grants to each of the 12 Teacher of the Year Nominees in the Avon Community School Corporation as well as to each of the seven Avon elementary school media centers, with grants totaling $15,500 in 2024.
The fund originated from Sharon Pinnick’s life story and her passion for educating children. Sharon did not have children of her own, so her students were her children in a very real way. Sharon was a much-loved teacher in the Avon schools for 17 years. During the 1996-97 academic year, she was named Teacher of the Year by the faculty and staff at Sycamore Elementary. Her classroom was an environment that was rich for learning, and her love of children was so endearing to her students that they were eager to go to school just to be with her. An abundance of books and activities about pets were some of the many ways she made learning to read fun for her students.
Sharon was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 1996 and lost this difficult battle just a few months later in February 1997. Soon after her death, her husband and family honored her memory by founding the Sharon Pinnick Educational Fund at HCCF. To date, the fund has granted nearly $127,000 to the Teacher of the Year nominees and the elementary school media centers in Avon. The grants are intended to foster excellence in teaching and to help make reading fun for all elementary students at the Avon schools. The fund is endowed, meaning that it will make grants and impact our community forever.
Her husband Don commented, “Having her legacy continue through a fund at the Community Foundation is truly amazing!” Her love for children is still making a difference today in our community — over 25 years later.
Contact the Community Foundation at info@hendrickscountycf.org or 317-268-6240 to start your own permanent fund at HCCF to leave a legacy and make a difference in the lives of those you care about for generations to come.
