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5k Race Proceeds Supports RichmondCC Scholarship

Sep 28

Duke and Melissa Smith, organizers of the Seaboard Festival 5K Run/Walk, decided to use a portion of this year’s race proceeds toward a scholarship at Richmond Community College.

The Seaboard Festival 5K Scholarship Fund will award one student $500 for the fall semester of 2017 and $500 for spring semester of 2018. Pictured are Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President of Development; Missy and Duke Smith, supporters of the Seaboard Festival 5K Walk/Run; and Dr. Dale McInnis, president of Richmond Community College.

“Right now, we’ve set it up to be awarded to one student — but if there are more funds in the future, we will have more scholarships in the same dollar amount,” Duke said.

Duke said with the theme of this year’s 5K including a school supply drive, establishing a scholarship seemed appropriate.

“Going forward, we feel education is the right direction for the race,” he said. “The Seaboard Festival committee has always just let us choose, after the 5K, where we wanted to donate our proceeds. We just decided on our own which charities to sponsor. A scholarship is a good way to use the money.”

To qualify for the scholarship, the applicant must be a Richmond County resident, maintain a 3.0 grade-point average, and be a full-time student.”

“The Richmond Community College Foundation appreciates the generous work of Duke and Melissa Smith for their development of the Seaboard Festival 5K Scholarship,” said Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President of Development. “We look forward to being able to offer this scholarship in fall 2017 that will help our students offset the cost of college and pursue their educational and career goals.”

Dr. Dale McInnis, college president, said he hopes the scholarship will inspire others to follow the example of its founders.

“On behalf of the college and our board of trustees, I want to thank the organizers of the Seaboard Festival 5K who used this annual event as an opportunity to support higher education within our community,” McInnis said. “We encourage other groups to look into the many ways our foundation has for giving and helping our students who are bettering their lives through a college education.”