Coming Full-Circle: Monroe County Education Foundation Successes

By Becky Crabtree

If we could visualize all the full circles of success during the quarter-century the Monroe County Education Foundation has been in business, it might look like dozens of rings scattered randomly about, representing a variety of professions and locations.

Several recent award winners can be found in classrooms of colleges and trade schools, and some are working in hospitals and businesses. Several are serving proudly in the military. You can walk into every school in Monroe County and find an educator who was supported by a MCEF scholarship. A series of articles recognizing all MCEF successes could run every week for years! Mr. J. D. Spangler is a remarkable example of a full-circle success, both in his professional life and in his contributions to this organization.

Mr. Spangler earned a scholarship in 2006, which he used to study international affairs at George Washington University. He earned a B.A. in International Affairs and is currently a Senior Communication Officer in the Office of the President for Global Health at the Gates Foundation. He works with experts in HIV, TB, malaria, and other diseases that disproportionally affect people living in low-income countries to develop and bring life-saving tools like new vaccines and treatments to those in need.

He has homes in San Francisco and Seattle and spends time at the Larew Cottage on Hans Creek, which he and his family own.

When asked how he felt when he earned the scholarship, he answered. "I was absolutely honored to receive this scholarship. It built upon previous support I received from the people and businesses of Monroe County to pursue my interest in international affairs. The community first helped me financially when I wanted to study abroad in Honduras during my junior year at James Monroe. Studying abroad demonstrated to George Washington's admissions office that I was serious about studying international affairs and was willing to put in the work to succeed at the school and in the workforce afterwards. This scholarship was special because it wasn't coming from someone I'd never met; it came from my neighbors, people who'd known me my entire life, who said, 'We think you can do this. We support you.' When people who know you so well say that, you have to believe it yourself."

He expanded his comments on community spirit, "I feel really fortunate to have grown up in Monroe County because it fostered such a deep sense of service to others and the community in me. We were always doing community service projects with 4-H, going to pancake and spaghetti suppers to help neighbors going through hard times, or just helping our neighbors with tasks around their farms. This instilled in me the belief that people can overcome hardships and challenges when we support each other. The whole reason I wanted to go to college was to learn how to solve problems that felt too big for one person, community, or even government to tackle. My education gave me the technical knowledge to better understand challenges and devise solutions to overcome them, and I wouldn't have been able to work in international affairs without it, but the motivation to do that started long before I got to a classroom."

A Peterstown Middle School teacher, Merri Hess, remembers J.D. fondly as a creative leader in her classroom. "Even then, he had ideas about how to make things better. It is wonderful that he was able to have the opportunities that Monroe County offers to go along with his hard work."

J.D. supports the Monroe County Education Foundation in a variety of ways: he built a new website for the group, established a scholarship with his siblings and parents to support those interested in exploring international educational opportunities, and, most recently, joined its Board of Directors. He said, "I want to help make sure this resource remains a strong source of community support for future generations."

His circle of success, from scholarship recipient to scholarship donor to active board member, is a celebration of this outstanding young man, his family, community, and, in part, the Monroe County Education Foundation.

This is part of a series of articles about the Monroe County Education Foundation.