David Malson is a Hoosier through and through. Born in Rushville, he graduated from Rushville High School. He earned his undergraduate degree at Indiana University Bloomington and his J.D. at the IU School of Law Indianapolis. He returned to his roots to set up his law practice and has been here ever since.

Dave has immersed himself in the community serving on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Rush County, Rushville Parks, Rush County Public Defender and now the Rush County Community Foundation. Additionally, he serves on RCCF’s Scholarship and Facilities Committees. “RCCF is a great example of giving back to the Rush County community by way of grants and scholarships, and I wanted to be a part of that. I like what RCCF represents,” he said.

His involvement doesn’t end there. He and his wife, Barbara, are active donors, too. They established the David and Barbara Malson Indiana University Scholarship Fund. It provides two scholarships annually for RCHS grads attending IU based on greatest financial need. One goes to an incoming freshman, the other to an IU senior.

“I like that Rushville is a small town and like getting to know its citizens. People care about each other,” he continued.

And Dave should know. Some of Rush County’s smallest residents occupy the biggest place in the Malsons’ hearts. Dave and Barbara volunteer weekly by reading with third grade students at Rushville’s elementary schools. Their involvement helps kids succeed in school by building reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Perhaps more importantly, it will help them succeed in life with heightened self-esteem and communication and interpersonal skills. Just knowing someone else cares can make the biggest difference of all. (Read more about their volunteer work.)

Building further on their passion for reading and the desire to instill that in kids, they also established the David and Barbara Malson Kindergarten Book Pass-Through Fund. This generous donation provides $10 worth of books to each kindergartner at RESE and RESW at the end of the school year. Each title is thoughtfully chosen to match the interests of each child.

You’ve probably heard of or maybe even participated in community-lead “High-Five Days” at area schools. Community members gather on a school morning and line up to give the kids smiles, words of encouragement and of course, high-five hand slaps. Dave and Barb are responsible for introducing this feel-good frenzy of kindness.

Even super heroes need to take a break and recharge. Dave and Barbara love sports – Pacers, Colts and IU football and basketball. They travel to Bloomington for all of the Hoosiers’ home games.

We can’t imagine better cheerleaders for the game of life than the Malsons, and we’re so happy to have Dave on the RCCF board!