Southside Opportunity Fund awards scholarships to local graduates
Eighteen high school graduates from across Southside Electric Cooperative’s service area have earned college scholarships awarded by the Southside Opportunity Fund.
The Southside Opportunity Fund Board of Directors reviewed the nearly 30 scholarship applications and made its selections in early July. Graduates, who represented 11 counties served by SEC, received scholarships of either $2,000 or $1,000.
“These students have worked hard and shown diligence both in and out of the classroom, and the Southside Opportunity Fund board was pleased to be able to make these awards,” said Lloyd Lenhart, SEC’s director of community relations. “We wish the students the very best as they continue their education in pursuit of their dreams.”
Receiving $2,000 scholarships were Jared Mayhew of Staunton River High School, Emily Erickson of Fuqua School and Savannah Kelley of Dinwiddie High School.
Selected for $1,000 scholarships were Jackson Perkins, Rustburg High School; Caroline Ramsey and Trenton Jordan, Randolph-Henry High School; Emma Porterfield, Westover Christian Academy; Karisma Watson, Appomattox High School; Dalton Ashworth and Cole Williams, Central (Lunenburg) High School; Jordan Smith and Caroline Seal, Cumberland High School; Abbie Schmidt, Fuqua School; Brooke Bishop, Dinwiddie High School; Curtis Roberts and Paul Moore, Amelia County High School; and Kayla Tibbs and Alexis Beaty, Powhatan High School.
The Southside Opportunity Fund board also made its annual $3,000 donation to Southside Virginia Community College’s Power Line Worker Training School for student scholarships.
To be eligible for scholarships in 2020, graduates’ parents or guardians had to be SEC members, and applicants had to receive a high school diploma or GED by this fall and must be planning to enter their first semester of college or trade/technical school this fall.
Scholarships are funded by proceeds from the annual Southside Opportunity Fund Golf Classic and Southside Opportunity Fund Skeet & Trap Classic, along with Hooper Park rentals and other donations. The scholarships are an integral part of SEC’s community outreach. In five years, 89 scholarships totaling nearly $100,000 have been provided for young people heading to college, plus $15,000 has been donated for future lineworkers going to the Power Line Worker Training School.
The Southside Opportunity Fund was created by the Southside Electric Cooperative Board of Directors to provide scholarships and other opportunities for SEC members and their families.
Information about applying for scholarships next year will be available in the early part of 2021 at www.sof.coop and from guidance counselors at high schools in SEC’s service territory.
Southside Electric Cooperative, a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution company, has 57,700 services across 18 counties in central and southern Virginia. Headquartered in Crewe, SEC has district offices in Altavista, Crewe, Dinwiddie and Powhatan. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Submitted by lloyd.lenhart on Fri, 07/17/2020 - 7:12pm