For the past three summers, we’ve been fortunate enough to have an ace up our sleeve – intern, Riley Sheehan, through support from Lilly Endowment Inc. While Riley herself tends to stay behind the scenes, her work in support of RCCF and our community is front and center.

Riley is a hometown girl, born and raised Rushville. If you’ve kept up with the developments in Rushville the last decade or so, you MAY have heard of her parents, Brian and Heather Sheehan. Riley counts them both as her heroes. “They’ve each shown me in their own way what hard work, determination, and persistence can do,” she said. She also has a younger brother, Joe, and two cats, Martha and Jinks.

She shares in her family’s reputation as a champion for our community. “I love living in Rush County because of the sense of community there is here. Also, I love how close everything is and how safe our community is. I especially love spending my summers here because of all of the activities there are on a given weekend throughout the summer. Whether it be a free concert at Riverside Park, the Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market, or just taking evening walks to enjoy all of the new additions that have taken place within the last few years.”

Riley is a senior at Ball State University majoring in Art Education with a minor in Hospitality and Food Service Management. She combined her two interests and served as the treasurer of the Art Education Club, helping to organize networking events for other students in the field.

She’s been doing the same for RCCF. “Through my internship each year, I have loved every day I’ve been at work,” she smiled. “In my first year at the foundation, I was responsible for marketing materials and found myself designing my first billboard, which was pretty neat to see on my way in and out of town that summer. In my second year, I got to work as a community intern, meaning I was able to assist organizations like the Rush County Community Assistance Food Pantry, the Chamber of Commerce, the City of Rushville, and of course, the Community Foundation. Through my second summer, I was able to add four different murals to different locations throughout Rushville, including the window mural at the Food Pantry. This year, I have been primarily working on our 30th anniversary and some preparatory bicentennial work. This summer, I am most looking forward to celebrating all RCCF has done for Rush County at our 30th-anniversary celebration.”

Riley has been instrumental in planning the celebration – from designing the invitations and securing the food, to creating the 30th anniversary video and planning the decorations. She works hard, utilizing both her boundless creativity and efficient diligence. In short, we think Riley is awesome!

We wondered what Riley might do if she were given $1 million with the catch that she had to give it away. The RCCF scholarship recipient in her knew right away. “I would use it to start a scholarship and community fund through the foundation. By being fortunate enough to know the impact these dollars leave on the recipients, I would without a doubt give these funds to the foundation, so they were able to forever make an impact on someone’s life.” She added, “I will graduate from Ball State with no student loan debt thanks to the donors from the Rush County Community Foundation. Each scholarship made a huge impact on the cost of my education. My gratitude for these families is tremendous. I will forever feel connected to the individuals that fund and are memorialized by these scholarships and this community as a whole.”

We’re holding you to that, Riley. And the feeling is mutual. You’ll always be a part of the RCCF team, and we’re grateful for all ways you’ve used your talents to help make Rush County an even better place!