Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship trains area students in health care and skilled trades
Thirty area students received $20,000 in scholarships from the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship for the 2023-24 school year at Kellogg Community College.
The growing program helps train those for careers in health or skilled trades programs who reside in Branch County or graduated from a Branch County high school or home school.
To receive the help, all demonstrated financial need and enrolled at KCC.
Sunrise Rotary program liaison Jon Harpst said, “If they’re in the allied health field, we made a decision early on, we don’t fund until the second year.” That eliminates those who change fields.
Since 2019, the KCC Foundation granted 126 scholarships from the Sunrise Rotary Promise fund.
The Promise Endowment raised more than $350,000 toward a $500,000 goal to ensure the longterm sustainability of the program, Harpst said.
Administered through the KCC Foundation, the Promise scholarship program began with an initial three-year grant of $60,000, followed by a four-year grant of $80,000 in 2022 from the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation.
“The program has been impactful. We’ve graduated over 20 kids now,” Harpst said. Almost all work in this area.
Harpst said many students are older, have jobs and children, or can’t attend full-time.
Prior story Sunrise Rotary announces new scholarship program to launch in 2019
The recipients of this year’s scholarship include:
Dental hygiene: Leandro Castro, Abby Herman, Alaqrai Nadwia, Samantha Sylvester, and Virginia Torres-Ojeda, all of Coldwater.
Nursing: Ashley Boyer and Samantha Urena of Battle Creek; Kali Reeg and Ashley Rissman of Bronson; Veronica Arroyo, Marissa Cox, Alexandra Curtis, Gabrielle Harris, Ally Holland, Brittaine Lewis, Shanna Marsh, Ashleigh Morick, Cemara Paul, Lissbet Ramos, Briana Roush, Ciarra Rumph, and Jennifer Smith, all of Coldwater; Melissa Piper, of Dowling; Dezirae Bigelow, of Hillsdale; and Alexis Bethel and Macey Randall, of Quincy.
Physical therapist assistant: Emma Finn of Coldwater.
Radiography: Bryan Foote of Bronson; MacKenzie Mitchell of Burlington; and Pamela Coleman of Quincy.
Teresa Durham, executive director of the KCC Foundation, said, “The KCC Foundation is excited to continue its partnership with the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary for this amazing program that is making a positive impact. We applaud the efforts of the Rotary to help raise the level and quality of education in the region.”
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Major donations for the Promise Scholarship program were from the Thomas Bott Donor Advised Fund, the Hal and Lillian Creal Fund, the George and Kathie Babcoke Trust, Southern Michigan Bank & Trust, Century Bank and Trust, ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital and Clemens Food Group, as well as support from members of the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Club and its Foundation.
For more information about the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship Program, call Harpst at (517) 202-7849 or visit coldwatersunriserotary.com
Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship trains area students in health care and skilled trades
