Farewell Angelina will provide An Evening for ABAC entertainment
Jan. 22—TIFTON — Celebrating 50 years of providing scholarship opportunities for students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, An Evening for ABAC is scheduled this year on Feb. 26.
ABAC Alumni Director Lynda Fisher, coordinator for this year's event, said the ABAC Foundation's annual student scholarship fundraising gala will include a silent auction, a virtual auction beginning Feb. 23, cocktails, dinner, and a dynamite entertainment package featuring Farewell Angelina. The black-tie affair begins at 6 p.m. at the Tifton Campus Conference Center.
"We are so glad to welcome back all our alumni and friends this year," Fisher said. "I believe the 50th anniversary celebration is going to be a night to remember."
Community support for the event has been ongoing since 1972 when the ABAC Foundation sponsored a fundraiser featuring Anita Bryant to complete the funding for the Chapel of All Faiths.
The banquet attracted 426 patrons and netted $22,612. In 1973, Eddie Arnold came to town for another ABAC Foundation-sponsored event, and the legendary program called Dollars for Scholars was born.
Dollars for Scholars became the social event of the year in Tift County with entertainers such as Ray Stevens, Louise Mandrell, Debbie Reynolds, Kathy Mattea, Marie Osmond, Helen Reddy, Ronnie Milsap, Lorrie Morgan and the Temptations.
Trisha Yearwood attracted the largest crowd for Dollars for Scholars in 2006 when more than 1,800 patrons attended her show. The ABAC Foundation changed the name of the event to An Evening for ABAC in 2008 and focused its efforts entirely on raising funds for scholarships.
Jodie Snow, Class of 2000 at ABAC and now the ABAC Foundation's chief operating officer, knows how vital that scholarship support is to the students.
"The debt assumed by many students is staggering," Snow said. "If ABAC students are to leave school with a minimum debt load, most will require financial assistance. The advancement office and the foundation are crucial to maintaining affordability for an ABAC student's education and allowing them to graduate with minimum debt."
Tickets for An Evening for ABAC are $125 for singles and $225 for couples. A portion of the ticket price is tax deductible. For tickets, interested persons can visit www.abac.edu/evening or call (229) 391-4895. The deadline to purchase tickets is Feb. 13.
Named after a haunting Bob Dylan song, Farewell Angelina is a country band with a blend of harmonies over violin and guitars that has earned soaring praise across the board.
Deidre Martin, ABAC's chief advancement officer, said sponsors are vital to the success of An Evening for ABAC. Sponsorship levels include the summa cum laude level for $20,000 which sponsors eight scholarships; magna cum laude for $15,000, which sponsors six scholarships; cum laude for $10,000, which sponsors four scholarships; president's list for $5,000, which sponsors two scholarships; dean's list for $2,500, which sponsors one scholarship, and friends of ABAC for $1,600 for those who want to contribute to the scholarship effort.
Details on sponsorships are available from Martin at dmartin@abac.edu or by calling (229) 391-4907. Leading the list of sponsors so far are the Bostelman Family at the summa cum laude level; Southwell and Colquitt Regional Medical Center at the magna cum laude level, and Hilton Garden Inn of Tifton at the cum laude level.
