Donor Story – Sue Showers – Founder of The Bob and Esther Freking Scholarship
March 17, 2023
Sue Showers grew up with five brothers. She was the oldest and only girl. Neither of her parents was a college graduate, but education was important in Sue’s family.
“From a very young age, [my parents] always talked about us attending college. So, my parents put us all through Catholic grade school and high school,” reminisced Sue.
Sue earned an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Dayton and went on to earn a master’s of education from the University of Cincinnati. She did post graduate studies at various universities in administration and leadership.
Paying it Forward
But it was a connection made during Sue’s high school years at Ursuline Academy that would ultimately bring her into The Chatfield Edge family – Sister Phyllis Kemper, an Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees Member and Congregational Minister for the Ursulines of Brown County.
“Sister Phyllis Kemper and I went to high school together. We had a longstanding tradition to always reconnect around Lent.”
Sister Phyllis invited Sue to a fundraiser and auction at Chatfield one year. Sue attended the Chatfield Scholars event the following year and had lunch with two of Chatfield’s scholarship recipients.
“I was very impressed. These students had goals so far beyond just their two years at Chatfield. When I went home that night, I told my family that we should start a scholarship in honor of my parents.”
With the encouragement and fundraising assistance of her husband and two daughters, Sue was able to fund The Bob and Esther Freking Scholarship. It is now an annual award given to a deserving woman with a drive and desire to improve her life through higher education.
“I had the best parents in the world,” Sue said, eyes misting momentarily. “Education opens doors. It really is the key to success in the future. This gift ensures that others have the same opportunity and future I did.”
The first and current recipient of The Bob and Esther Freking Scholarship is Latasha Smith, a mother of five and first-time grandmother currently attending Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.
Attend the Celebrate Our Scholars Brunch
You can meet Latasha and seven other deserving Chatfield Scholars as we celebrate our first cohort of The Chatfield Edge Scholars. These students attend universities throughout Greater Cincinnati but are still actively supported academically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually by their Chatfield family.
The Celebrate Our Scholars Brunch takes place at the former OTR Cincinnati Campus, 1544 Central Parkway, on April 15, 2023, from 10 a.m. to Noon. Join The Chatfield Edge as we support our first cohort of Chatfield Scholars and raise money for future scholarships and operating expenses. Register now or contact Kelly Watson at 513-875-3344 x—117 or Kelly.watson@chatfieldedge.org for more information.