Jacksonville Promise scholarship program celebrates 10 years with gala
By Dr. Barbara Suelter
Photos/Melissa Pantier
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of providing Jacksonville Promise scholarships to Morgan County students attending Lincoln Land Community College or Illinois College, the November 6 “Evening of Promise” gala helped raise approximately $30,000 for our community.
About 200 attendees ate and chatted their way through a wonderful meal at Hamilton’s. Most importantly, they listened to some interesting information from some of the students who are attending local colleges and receiving scholarship assistance from Jacksonville Promise. The students explained the value of the Promise scholarship to them in obtaining their education.
The evening culminated with a lively auction conducted by Jess Spradlin for a number of items. The audience also had the opportunity to participate in a silent auction and a 50/50 drawing during the evening.
The scholarship program is providing 124 scholarships this fall for students in our area. Throughout the 10 years of providing scholarships, a total of 375 individual students have received scholarships to assist with their education, whether for vocational ventures or four years of college earning a bachelor’s degree, for a total of about $1,100,000.
Students must have a GPA of 2.0 average through high school as well as maintain a 2.0 average GPA in college. The Promise is a last-dollar scholarship, which means the scholarship is intended to be used after all other financial aid resources have been awarded.
The student may receive up to $1,500 for each of the first four semesters and up to $2,100 for each of the following four semesters for a total of $14,400. For additional information, email Jacksonvillepromise@gmail.com. More about the program can also be found at jacksonvillepromise.org and on Facebook.
