Recently established at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, the Kathleen Loop Snyder Memorial Scholarship will provide support to graduating seniors in the Smethport (PA) Area School District for many years to come.
Established by Kathy’s sister, Janet Cottillion, and her daughter, Renee Snyder, the scholarship will support students in the same district in which she worked for more than 30 years as a speech pathologist through the Seneca Highlands IU9 and in the community in which she was an active figure.
“So many kids benefitted from her working with them,” said Cottillion of her sister’s career in speech pathology at IU9. “No matter the kids’ backgrounds, she would take them and work with them and try to get them where they needed to be with their speech.”
“She definitely always gave her all for every student,” added Snyder.
In the community, Kathy was a 50-plus year member of the Smethport United Methodist Church, where she had served on many committees and was a past trustee. She was also a member of the Phoenix Chapter No. 15, Order of the Eastern Star Lodge, in Smethport.
The scholarship in her name will be for students graduating from the Smethport Area School District. First preference is for a student pursuing post-secondary education in a career/vocational-tech field. Financial need will be considered. The size and number of awards will depend on the annual distribution amount available.
If the district merges in the future, the scholarship will be for students who reside in the borough and townships that comprised the Smethport Area School District.
For Cottillion and Snyder, the scholarship is a tribute not only to someone who left a lasting impact on the Smethport Area School District and its students, but it is a tribute to a beloved and dearly missed sister and mother – one who was an avid traveler and lover of the outdoors.
“I am greatly thankful for my aunt being able to pay forward my mom’s memory, said Snyder. “We are so fortunate that we have the financial means to be able to do this.”
The scholarship is also a tribute to the spirit of hard work and value in education that the family has long shared.
Cottillion remembers her and Kathy’s father, Glenn Loop, as always helping neighbors and friends build things around the house and their mother, Jeanette Loop, as a dedicated school teacher who expected the most from her students.
Both came from a background of difficult circumstances. Glenn’s father died when he was 18, and he went on to work in the oil fields. Jeanette, a child of Irish immigrants, lost her mother at age 2 and was raised by her father and grandfather.
“They set the foundation and instilled the values that were paid forward to the next generation,” said Snyder. “They came from difficult circumstances and went on to pay it forward to their family and community.”
Donations can be made to Kathleen Loop Snyder Memorial Scholarship Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203, Olean, NY 14760 or online at cattfoundation.org.
Established in 1994, the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).
