SCC Foundation to Endow Five New Funds at the Spartanburg County Foundation

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The Spartanburg Community College Foundation is pleased to announce five new endowment agreements have been established at The Spartanburg County Foundation totaling $85,000. "This is an incredible time to be at the SCC Foundation. New scholarships are being established, endowments create and we are making our donated dollars work to directly benefit SCC students," shares Bea Walters Smith, executive director of the SCC Foundation and Advancement.

"We are pleased that the Spartanburg Community College Foundation has entrusted the Foundation with these funds," states Troy Hanna, president and CEO of The Spartanburg County Foundation. "We value our meaningful partnerships with local educational institutions and are honored to assist in providing these fiduciary services and in meeting these critical needs for students in Spartanburg County and beyond."

Two of the endowed agreements are scholarships - the Jimmy Painter Horticulture Scholarship and the Caroline Ragsdale Reutter Memorial Scholarship for Culinary Arts. The Jimmy Painter Horticulture Scholarship Fund was created in honor of Jimmy Painter for his distinguished 37-year teaching career at SCC and for service as the College's first horticulture department chair. This scholarship allows students who live outside Spartanburg County pursuing a degree in horticulture to pay in-county tuition. On average, six and 10 students a year are awarded this scholarship. "This scholarship fund plays an important role in the success of our students and our program," explains Jason Bagwell, horticulture department chair.

The Caroline Ragsdale Reutter Memorial Scholarship was just endowed thanks to the success of a recent fundraising event, a Cakewalk in Budapest, attended by the late Reutter's family and many friends. This scholarship will provide financial support to a student pursuing a degree in culinary arts.

Both scholarships will be awarded on an annual basis to SCC students who meet set criteria.Scholarship applications are available online from the SCC Foundation January 2- April 15 for current and incoming students on the SCC website.

The three remaining endowed agreements are specialized funds that assist specific requests from students. This includes the SCC Arboretum Fund, the Sherry Vaughn Student Book Request Fund and the SCC Student Emergency Fund. The SCC Arboretum Fund was established with dollars generated from the horticulture department's annual special events including the spring and fall plant sales and Arboretum Adventures. These funds will be used to assist in beautification projects on the SCC Giles Campus. The Sherry Vaughn Student Book Fund and the SCC Student Emergency Fund reached the endowment level by dollars raised from the College's annual Economic Visionaries event, which is held in March. Each of these funds provide support for current students who may need further assistance in addition to financial aid. On-line applications for these scholarships are available at www.sccsc.edu/emergency-fund and www.sccsc.edu/book-fund.

Ron Jackson, vice president of SCC's Student Affairs adds, "The availability of the Student Emergency Fund and the Sherry Vaughn Book Fund represent opportunities to help students minimize, and in some cases, overcome barriers that have discouraged or prevented them from achieving their academic goals in the past. We are excited and appreciate the work of the Foundation to make these opportunities available for our students."

Photos from the endowment signing are available for download at the following link:
www.flickr.com-SCC-Foundation-Endowments

Registration for SCC summer and fall semester classes is going on now. Summer
classes begin on June 18. Fall classes begin on August 20, September 25, October 15 and November 1. Individuals interested in registering for classes can apply online at www.sccsc.edu or contact the admissions center at any SCC location for more assistance.