As of 11/1/2024

$2 Million Milestone Reached By Norse Fund

In 1988, the Westby Norse Fund granted their first four scholarships to graduating seniors. In total, the class received $2,500. Through the continuous and generous financial support of alumni and donors over the year, the Norse Fund has built a legacy impacting generations of students. Over that time, the Norse Fund has been served by volunteer board members, who have guided, promoted, and supported the cause. It is with deep gratitude to both our donors and board members that we announce and celebrate reaching a financial milestone of $2 Million Dollars in Scholarships Granted. Each of our donors and board members should feel immense pride in the achievement, as it would not have been possible without your support.

New Website Launched

Over time, the Norse Fund has been challenged to meet the expectations of modern donors. As Westby Area High School Alumni and Friends spread around the nation and our world, we have upgraded our software and capabilities to be able to better serve people near and far. Over the last two years, the Norse Fund has launched a new website with several exciting features. 

• Online Donations: We are now able to accept online donations securely and easily. The processing fee for the transaction is able to be covered by the donor or the Norse Fund, and we are not charged any additional fees to receive our online funds. 
• Donor Management System: Through our new online donation platform, we are better able to track contact information about our donors to better reach out to them in the future. Previously, we were manually updating spreadsheets and there was not a centralized source of information.
• Fundraising Campaigns: Our new website platform is able to help fundraise for specific campaigns, in order to grow an endowed scholarship. We first launched the Title IX/Ann Kurth Memorial Scholarship as a trial run, and we are excited to offer this service to others in the community who would like to create a memorial scholarship for a loved one. 

We look forward to continuing to serve our community of donors and scholars. We are continuously striving to improve the information provided on this website to transform this space into a useful tool and resource.

Total 2024 Donations:

In 2024, a total of $47,242.55 was given to the Westby Norse Fund through a combination of general fund donations, flow-through scholarship, endowment contributions, and earned dividends from investments.
The Westby High School Class of 2024 was awarded $105,935 in scholarships. Additional details are available here.

Memorials Given:

Bruce Volden
Edith Solberg
Gary Ekern
Hiram Lund
Linda Holte
Roger Sorenson
Brett Holte
Carol Cade
Claremont "Jake" Jacobson
Craig Hoven
Dave Berg
Gary Leum
Gordy Johnson
Keith Tainter
Linda Kreuzer
Margaret Terry
Mary Jacobson
Mary Lium
Nancy (Meyer) Johnson
Peter Brose
Todd Ihrcke

New Endowment: James & Amy Lou Onshus

The Westby Norse Fund received one new endowed scholarship in 2024 from James and Amy Lou Onshus. Their continued generosity and commitment to supporting Westby Area High School graduates is greatly appreciated by the Norse Fund Board and Westby Alumni.

Andrea Jothen Completes Final Term as Norse Fund Treasurer

In late 2024, Andrea Jothen completed her final term on the Norse Fund Board after serving as Treasurer for many years. Under Andrea's tenure as Treasurer, the Norse Fund Board was able to simplify our Investment strategy and portfolio, along with upgrade our record keeping and financial reporting standards for future Treasurers. We thank Andrea for her six years of service and diligent work towards advancing the educational opportunities for Westby Alumni.