Pines Village Retirement Communities, Inc., announces the 2025-2026 recipients of the Margaret M. Rivers and Anne Lauterbach scholarship awards.  The scholarship program was created to foster employee longevity and encourage employees to pursue their higher education goals. Through the generosity of our residents, their families, the Board of Directors, and staff, over $400,000 in scholarships has been awarded to Pines Village employees since 1996.

• The Margaret M. Rivers Fund - created in honor of Midge Rivers, founding director and CEO of Pines Village Retirement Communities.

• The Anne Lauterbach Fund - created in honor of the late Anne Lauterbach, an educator, and a Pines Village resident.

 Every year, Pines Village holds a ceremony for high school and college graduates as well as the scholarship recipients. Residents, staff, and their families are welcome to celebrate their achievements. 

This year, for the 2025-2026 school year, $ 26,850 was awarded to the following seven student employees: 

FRONT ROW: Margaret M Rivers (Midge), Lou Foster, Jeanne Hayes, Mary Knarr
BACK ROW: Ian Smith, Sylvia Rotole, Henry Harris, Abrey Gudeman, Lucy Warner, Madison Reeves (not pictured is Madalyn Halsey)

Abrey Gudeman received a Margaret M Rivers scholarship. Abrey works in Dining as a server and is proud to have worked for Pines Village since 2021. Abrey attends Huntington University in Huntington, Indiana where she is pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy.  Her parents are Kerri and Glen Gudeman.

Madalyn Halsey received an Anne Lauterbach scholarship. Madalyn has been employed in Home Health as an aide for 2 years. She is attending Ivy Tech Community College majoring in Nursing. Madalyn’s father is Adam Halsey.

Henry Harris received an Anne Lauterbach scholarship. Henry has been employed in Dining Services as a server and a cook for a little over 4 years. Henry is attending the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne majoring in Social Work. Henry’s parents are Denielle and Brandon Harris.

Madison Reeves received a Margaret M Rivers and Anne Lauterbach scholarship. Madison has been employed in Dining Services as a server for a little over 2 years. Madison is attending Indiana University in Bloomington, majoring in Political Science and International Studies. She is working towards becoming an Intelligence Analyst. Her parents are Kim and Brian Reeves.

Sylvia Rotole received an Anne Lauterbach scholarship.  Sylvia began her time at Pines Village in Dining Services and is now a Home Health Aide in our Home Health department, having been employed for a little over 3 years between the two departments.  She attends Purdue University Northwest in Westville where she is pursuing a degree in Nursing. Her parents are Joanna and John Rotole.

Ian Smith received a Margaret M Rivers and Anne Lauterbach scholarship.  Ian has been employed in Dining Services as a server for a little over 4 years. Ian attends Depauw University in Greencastle, IN where he is majoring in Philosophy. Ian plans to become a professor. Ian’s parents are Hope and Julien Smith.

Lucy Warner received a Margaret M Rivers scholarship.  Lucy has been employed in Dining Services as a server for 5 years. She attends Purdue University in West Lafayette where she is majoring in Biomedical Health Sciences, working towards becoming a Physician. Her parents are Karen and Tim Warner. 

Pines Village would like to also congratulate our 2025 college graduates. Aleksa Matijevic and Maddie Wagner. Aleksa graduated from Ivy Tech Community College with a degree in Data Analytics. Maddie Wagner graduated from Purdue University, West Lafayette with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Health Sciences and plans to attend Physician Assistant school to continue her journey in healthcare.

In addition, we would like to congratulate our 2025 high school graduates Cassie Breitzke, Emily Cheuk, Aubrey Eagen, Aubrey Goodfellow, Aubrie Graegin, Anna Rotole and Madison Sheets. We are truly happy for each of you and your individual accomplishments! We wish you success and can’t wait to hear about your future. Congrats!!