WCC scholarship program celebrated

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

Sondra Harman always wanted to become a nurse but was concerned about money for her college tuition. As a senior at Bland High School last fall, she saw those worries disappear.
Harman is among 88 graduates from high schools in Wythe and Bland counties in 2007 who received full scholarships to Wytheville Community College. Their up to two years’ worth of tuition and fees are covered by the Wythe-Bland Community Foundation Scholarship Program.
“Now, I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to pay for my studies,” Harman stated Thursday morning at a celebration marking the establishment of the scholarship program. “I can put my energies on my studies.”
She spoke on behalf of the scholarship recipients in thanking the Wythe-Bland Community Foundation Scholarship Program board of directors. All the recipients were invited to the celebration and luncheon at the new Wytheville Community Center and many attended.
“The purpose of this program and luncheon is to recognize and thank the members of the board of directors of the Wythe-Bland Community Foundation for their foresight in establishing this important scholarship program,” stated WCC President Charlie White. “Thanks to them, future graduates of Wythe and Bland high schools will have the opportunity to get an excellent education at Wytheville Community College without incurring any debt from tuition and fees.”
He also noted that 60 other 2007 graduates qualified for the program but had their tuition and fees paid by other financial aid sources.
The scholarship program requires eligible students to provide proof of residency in Wythe or Bland for at least two years before graduation; to have attended a public or private high school in Wythe or Bland for at least the junior and senior years (provisions are made for home-schooled students and those who obtain their GEDs); and to apply for any other available federal and state financial aid, scholarships and grants. It also requires students to achieve a 2.0 grade point average by the end of the first year and complete 67 percent of all classes to continue receiving the grant for a second year and complete 40 hours of community volunteer service with an approved agency by the end of the first year.
Formerly known as the Wythe County Community Hospital Foundation, the Wythe-Bland Community Foundation was originally formed in 1991 to support the charitable needs of Wythe County Community Hospital. On May 31, 2005, the hospital leased its buildings and related real property and sold substantially all of its assets to a subsidiary of LifePoint Hospitals Inc.
Before its transaction to LifePoint, the hospital made a substantial contribution to the foundation. Re-organized on June 1, 2005, the foundation is no longer affiliated with the hospital.
A 13-member board of directors manages the foundation and its trust fund. It is composed of community leaders who serve without compensation.
Gail Catron is the executive director of the foundation. Alan Hawthorne is chairman and CEO, and Travis Jackson is chairman of the Wythe County Community Hospital Board.
They, too, remarked about the scholarship program.
“Some of you are going to be teachers,” stated Wythe County School Superintendent Albert S. Armentrout. “Use your community service in our schools. Go to our principals and talk to them about volunteering. Help in the classrooms and on the ball fields to get an insight into how difficult it is to be a teacher.”
Bland County School Superintendent Donald Hodock also addressed the recipients. He encouraged them to take full advantage of the opportunities before them.
Special guests at Thursday’s celebration were Virginia Secretary of Education Thomas Morris and Virginia College System Chancellor Dr. Glenn DuBois. They, too, praised the foundation’s board of directors for establishing the unique scholarship program and urged the recipients to complete their courses.
“You are special,” Morris told the young people. “I want you to feel special. I want you to recognize what a special opportunity you have.”
DuBois pointed out students can transfer their two-year degrees to any public and most private institutions including Virginia Tech, Radford University and Emory & Henry College. He also asked for a show of hands of students who are the first in their families to attend college with about one-fourth of the young people raising their hands.
DuBois told the students to fight the urge whenever they are tempted to stay in bed and skip class. He also reminded them they owed it to their families to succeed.
Following an hour-long ceremony, the attendees were treated to lunch in the spacious meeting room of the community center.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or .