The annual Education Foundation Scholarship Reception, which took place in the University Center, celebrated those who donate to the scholarship funds that are distributed to students.

Each year, donors attend the ceremony to meet the students who are receiving their donations. Students who are supported by these institutional scholarships were invited to attend and eat dinner with their donors, allowing them to express their gratitude for the assistance from the donors.

Donors give various amounts of money to FMU to support students in achieving their academic goals. More than 200 businesses and individual families donate various amounts of money to students each year to help pay for tuition and other college expenses. All of the scholarships are specifically for full-time students, and, for most of the scholarships, students must reapply yearly and are not guaranteed to receive the scholarship again. Each scholarship is specialized and asks for students with specific qualifications and needs, and many of the scholarships are tailored to fit the interests of students, whether it is for sports, academic majors or general involvement at FMU.

The night began with opening remarks from Darryl Bridges, the vice president for Development and executive director of the FMU Education Foundation. He introduced Dr. Fred Carter, president of FMU, and expressed the university’s gratitude for the attendance of all of the donors and students who took the time to come to the reception.

Each door was seated with the recipients to their scholarship so that they could meet and get to know one another.

Senior history major Katie Lewis attended the event and expressed gratitude to her donors. She said she was grateful for the assistance she receives, especially to support her changing her academic major from middle level education to history and taking on a minor in literature.

“It’s meant a lot to be able to give thanks to the people who donate,” Lewis said.

Carter welcomed students and donors. He gave a speech thanking the donors for their support of students in their journey to graduate and got on to find success after college. To reinforce his appreciation for the donors’ effect on students’ lives, Carter showed a video of several students giving testimonies about how they were able to succeed more easily with the help of their scholarships.

Junior healthcare administration major Sarah Deas is a recipient of the Paul A. Tuttle/ Florence Breakfast Rotary Club Scholarship.

“Thank you for giving me money and helping me get closer to my goal of becoming a family physician,” Deas said to her donors.

Students remained in the UC after the reception to continue to mingle with their donors and other student recipients of institutional scholarships.