Nov 21
RichmondCC Scholarship Banquet Draws Record Crowd
November 21, 2017 – Richmond Community College Foundation recognized more than 80 scholarship recipients during its annual academic awards banquet on Nov. 16 at the Cole Auditorium. The recipients were also given the opportunity to meet donors to thank them for their generosity in helping defray the cost of tuition and textbooks.
RCC Foundation President Joyce McDow opened the program by welcoming everyone to “the best community college in the state of North Carolina” and a college “we can all truly be proud of.”
“We are glad you are here this evening to witness the generosity of our scholarship donors and the appreciative spirit of our students, the recipients,” McDow said. “This is a very important part in the lives of our students who are putting forth the effort to forge their way in life. To our donors, it is wonderful to have supportive persons like you to make it all happen for our students, who are employees, future employees and leaders.”
Dr. Dale McInnis, President of RichmondCC, also spoke during the ceremony, noting the large turn out for the scholarship banquet.
“I’ve been president going on eight years and have been at the college for 15 years, so I’ve been coming to each of these scholarship banquets since 2002. We’ve never had as many here as we do tonight,” McInnis said. “It’s a tribute to those of you who took time out of your schedule to come here and share with us, whether you’re a student, a family member or a donor.”
McInnis reiterated McDow’s comment about RichmondCC being the best college in the state, but he noted it is because “we have the best students in the state of North Carolina and we’re going to work every day to make them better.”
Before giving out the scholarships, Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President of Development, talked about the 10 new scholarships that were formed this year and the two new scholarships that will be added next year, for a total of about $95,000 in new scholarship money.
“We are thankful for all the scholarships we are able to offer,” Shuler said. “We say giving is not just making a donation. It’s making a difference in the lives of so many of our students.”
Shuler read some of the comments that scholarship recipients had made in their thank-you notes to donors. Some of the comments from students included:
- “I am the first in my immediate family to attend college and receive a scholarship.”
- “I am a mother and a wife and work 40 hours a week to help pay for college – this scholarship goes a long way.”
- “This scholarship has given me a new opportunity at life.”
- “I can attend college while working full time to support my family.”
- “Thank you for believing in me. Because you believed in me I want to one day pay it forward and be a scholarship donor.”
- “Last semester, I thought that my time here at RCC was over due to financial issues in my family. Your scholarship has given me a second chance.”
- “As a single mother, this scholarship has paved the way for me to finish my degree.”