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Tuesday
November 24, 2009 Since 1922 |
Gala raises thousands for Lee College
By Cierra Putman
The Baytown Sun Published October 24, 2009 Attendees of the 2009 Lee College Foundation Gala know a mind is a terrible thing to waste and on Thursday night they raised thousands of dollars to make sure whoever wants to receive a higher education in Baytown will have the financial support they need.
“(The gala) fulfills the main purpose of the foundation which is to raise money for scholarships,” said the Lee College Foundation’s Executive Vice President and Secretary Pam Warford. “I think it shows support for the college when people support the foundation and this community is very generous. It believes in Lee College and Lee College students because they know they can make a significant impact on students’ lives.”
At the event, gala guests had the opportunity to hear first hand from a nontraditional student who is less than a year away from graduating with multiple degrees thanks to the foundation.
Lee College Student Candie Solis was a Texas business owner with only a high school diploma when her husband encouraged her to start taking classes at Lee College.
“I just never really thought I could go back to school so it was a big step to make that decision,” Solis said. “I just couldn’t get past a certain hump and couldn’t excel to the point I wanted to get to. I felt like if I didn’t do something different, I would never reach my goals.”
And so despite fears that she would not fit in or be able to relate to her fellow scholars, Solis went back to school.
“I thought I wouldn’t fit in and would have problems relating to the other students but it wasn’t like that,” Solis said. “I found a place at Lee. It was a very fortuitous decision to go to Lee, especially since we don’t live in the district. At Lee, everything is about succeeding and getting where you want to go.”
While on campus, not only did she fit in, but she excelled, and much of her success is because of the financial assistance she’s received because of the Lee College Foundation.
She said if she had not received the Dorothy Sayle Floyd Scholarship and most recently the Jean Shepherd Honors scholarship, she would not have been able to go to school and anticipate graduating in 2010.
Through silent and live auctions and other fundraising activities at the foundation’s yearly galas the Lee College Foundation was able to raise money to help hundreds of other students like Solis, who just needed a little help to make their dreams of higher education a reality.
Last year, the foundation awarded 205 $1,000 scholarships to students with the appreciated funds from its endowment.
The Baytown Sun Published October 24, 2009 Attendees of the 2009 Lee College Foundation Gala know a mind is a terrible thing to waste and on Thursday night they raised thousands of dollars to make sure whoever wants to receive a higher education in Baytown will have the financial support they need.
“(The gala) fulfills the main purpose of the foundation which is to raise money for scholarships,” said the Lee College Foundation’s Executive Vice President and Secretary Pam Warford. “I think it shows support for the college when people support the foundation and this community is very generous. It believes in Lee College and Lee College students because they know they can make a significant impact on students’ lives.”
At the event, gala guests had the opportunity to hear first hand from a nontraditional student who is less than a year away from graduating with multiple degrees thanks to the foundation.
Lee College Student Candie Solis was a Texas business owner with only a high school diploma when her husband encouraged her to start taking classes at Lee College.
“I just never really thought I could go back to school so it was a big step to make that decision,” Solis said. “I just couldn’t get past a certain hump and couldn’t excel to the point I wanted to get to. I felt like if I didn’t do something different, I would never reach my goals.”
And so despite fears that she would not fit in or be able to relate to her fellow scholars, Solis went back to school.
“I thought I wouldn’t fit in and would have problems relating to the other students but it wasn’t like that,” Solis said. “I found a place at Lee. It was a very fortuitous decision to go to Lee, especially since we don’t live in the district. At Lee, everything is about succeeding and getting where you want to go.”
While on campus, not only did she fit in, but she excelled, and much of her success is because of the financial assistance she’s received because of the Lee College Foundation.
She said if she had not received the Dorothy Sayle Floyd Scholarship and most recently the Jean Shepherd Honors scholarship, she would not have been able to go to school and anticipate graduating in 2010.
Through silent and live auctions and other fundraising activities at the foundation’s yearly galas the Lee College Foundation was able to raise money to help hundreds of other students like Solis, who just needed a little help to make their dreams of higher education a reality.
Last year, the foundation awarded 205 $1,000 scholarships to students with the appreciated funds from its endowment.