For generations, the families of Fern Zobrist Zimmerman and her late husband Paul Grieder, Jr. have been part of the life and faith of Central Illinois. Their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have grown up rooted in the same values that shaped Fern and Paul’s lives: faith, family, education, and service to others.

To honor their legacy, family members established the Fern Zobrist & Paul Grieder, Jr. Scholarship Endowment Fund for Bethel Lutheran Preschool at the Morton Community Foundation.

This fund was created with a simple but meaningful purpose. Each year, grants from the endowment will provide need-based tuition scholarships for children enrolled in Bethel Lutheran Preschool, helping families who may need a little extra assistance to provide their child with a Christ-centered early education.

For many families in the Morton community, Bethel Lutheran Preschool provides a child’s first experience in a nurturing school environment where faith and learning grow together. The program introduces young children to foundational academic skills while also helping them develop kindness, confidence, and a love of learning. The Grieder and Zobrist families know firsthand how meaningful this experience can be, as many of their own descendants have attended Bethel Lutheran Preschool.

One photo especially captures that connection across generations. In the Bethel Lutheran Preschool 2005 Christmas program, Fern and Paul’s great-grandson Nick Guerra participated alongside classmate Charis Short.  Nearly twenty years later, Nick and Charis were married in January 2024, a reminder of how relationships and memories formed in early childhood can carry forward throughout a lifetime.