The Community Foundation of the NRV 2022 2023 Annual Report

PAYING IT FORWARD The Blue Collar Scholarship honors the life & impact of Kent Quesenberry

In addition to sharing his expertise on the job site, Kent’s values around gaining and sharing knowledge extended to higher education. When his daughters Billie and her younger sister Jessie were both in college at the same time, Kent and his wife, Joni, started to think about how they could eventually help other blue collar families navigate paying for college, especially because both of their daughters benefitted from scholarships. “We’re a blue collar family and it’s very close to our hearts. We learned that being a second, third, and fourth year in college makes it much harder to get scholarships,” said Jessie. “We want to help families like ours by helping their kids go to college or further their education in whatever way.” Eventually, Joni reached out to the CFNRV to gather information about setting up a scholarship fund, but life got busy, and the idea was shelved for the time being. Years later, in 2021, Kent unexpectedly passed away. While his family was discussing how to honor his legacy, they revisited the idea of a scholarship to support families like theirs. When they felt ready, they reached back out to the Foundation. “Everyone at the Foundation made this a welcoming and supportive experience. The Blue Collar Scholarship would not be a reality without their help,” said Joni. “Learning all the rules and laws involved in setting up a scholarship would be overwhelming without their expertise and guidance. With the Foundation at our side, we now feel like the scholarship will continue to grow and be around for generations.”

Kent Quesenberry used to say, “You’re never too old to learn something new each day.” As a Master Plumber and Class B contractor, Kent could often be seen leaning on his shovel at a worksite, taking the time to get to know everyone and pass along advice and encouragement. “He was an awesome person and had a hello for every single person he met. He made it feel like you had known him your whole life,” said Billie, one of Kent’s daughters. “He was always a jokester, always laughing, and always had a twinkle in his eye.” Blue collar is in our genes,” said Joni Quesenberry. “Both Kent’s and my families were blue collar and Billie and Jessie inherited the gene.

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THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE NEW RIVER VALLEY

Photo courtesy of the Quesenberry family