FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Anni’s Army Foundation and Rockford Education Foundation Launch New Scholarship Honoring Rockford Student Annika Meier
Rockford, Michigan – November 2025 — Anni’s Army Foundation and the Rockford Education Foundation (REF) are honored to announce the creation of the Anni’s Army Foundation Annika Meier Honorary Scholarship, a new scholarship that will support Rockford High School seniors beginning with the Class of 2026.
The scholarship is named for Annika “Anni” Meier, a Rockford student living with a rare pediatric brain cancer. Over the past several years, Anni has faced intensive treatments and major life changes, yet continues to show strength, humor, and care for the people around her. She is known in the Rockford community for her bright spirit, resilience, and the way she encourages others even on hard days.
The scholarship will support Rockford High School seniors who have faced significant challenges and who demonstrate resilience, compassion, and a commitment to caring for others, qualities that reflect Anni and the mission of Anni’s Army Foundation.
“The Rockford community has supported Anni and our family in so many ways,” said Lynn Meier, Anni’s mom and co-founder of Anni’s Army Foundation. “We wanted to create something in her name that gives back to students who have had their own hard journeys and still find ways to be kind, keep going, and support the people around them.”
The scholarship is being launched through a partnership between Anni’s Army Foundation and the Rockford Education Foundation (REF), combining Anni’s Army’s community support for families facing medical challenges with REF’s long-standing, community-driven work to enrich education for all Rockford students.
“We are so honored to partner with Anni’s Army Foundation,” said Beth Meyer-Kraff, Executive Director of the Rockford Education Foundation. “Anni and her family have shown our community what it looks like to face incredibly hard things with strength and love. Through this partnership, we hope to lift up students who have faced their own difficult journeys and honor their strength and resilience.”
The Anni’s Army Foundation Annika Meier Honorary Scholarship will provide two $1,500 scholarships to Rockford High School seniors starting with the Class of 2026.
“Our hope is that this scholarship helps students feel seen,” Lynn added. “What they’ve gone through matters, and the way they care for others through it matters too.”
About Anni’s Army Foundation
Anni’s Army Foundation was created by Mark and Lynn Meier to honor their daughter, Annika “Anni” Meier, a Rockford student living with a rare pediatric brain cancer. The foundation supports medulloblastoma and pediatric cancer research and works to make a positive impact in the community through encouragement, kindness, and practical support for children and families facing serious medical challenges.
About Rockford Education Foundation (REF)
The Rockford Education Foundation is an independent nonprofit that raises funds to enrich education for all Rockford students. Since 1991, REF has partnered with families, educators, and community members to support classroom grants, programs, and scholarships that serve the whole child - academically, socially, and emotionally.
Media Contact:
Beth Meyer-Kraff
Executive Director
Rockford Education Foundation
616-863-6317
ref@rockfordschools.org
Anni's Army Contact:
Lynn Meier
Vice President/Treasurer
Anni’s Army Foundation
lynn.meier@annisarmy.org
