Once again, The Community Foundation for Crawford County has presented a Come Home Scholarship Award. These unique awards are used toward college debt. In return, the recipients must move back to Crawford County to live and work. The 5th such award to be granted by the Foundation, the most recent recipient was Tad Fannin.
Tad, the son of Don and Twyla Fannin, is a 2010 graduate of Bucyrus High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS in 2018, then went on to earn a digital marketing certificate from Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS in 2020.
What inspired you to move back home?
“With the business and employment opportunities for my wife and me and with family close by, we think the area has much to offer as we hopefully start a family soon. Bringing on The Pickwick Place as a client has been an important piece as I start a digital marketing agency. Now, being close by will be helpful for managing that relationship. Additionally, my wife is an owner, along with her sister, of The Ohio Flower Girls in Crawford County. That business has been growing, and we think it has much more potential. Although we have been able to help from a distance with marketing and administrative tasks, we have gotten more involved since moving to the area. She has also begun working at The Pickwick Place, which is a great fit for her.”
How do you plan to give back to your community now that you have returned?
“As we’re planning a lot of life changes with a move, family life, and launching fairly new businesses, it remains to be seen to what extent and how we might get involved in the local community. And having been out of the area for some time, we would benefit from learning more about the current needs and efforts in the area. That being said, participating in local church, supporting local business, and charitable involvement have been important for both my wife and me. When she lived in the area, her involvement in the community included volunteering at the hospital, Junior Fair Board membership, and church preschool volunteering. I have been a church musician and youth group volunteer, assistant high school football coach, and started a fundraising chapter for an organization now called Growing Hope Globally, which had local involvement and of which I am now a board member. Moving forward, I am interested in contributing with marketing to benefit both local business and causes. Additionally, between my and my wife’s businesses, we hope to get involved in the local business community.
Congratulations and good luck in the future, Tad!
To learn more, visit www.cfcrawford.org/come-home-scholarship.
