SECU representatives present MCC with an $18,000 check.
The member-funded State Employees Credit Union Foundation has provided funding for up to 30 local students to receive a $500 SECU Bridge to Career scholarship for study at Mayland Community College.
On Thursday, Sept. 15, members of the SECU Foundation attended Mayland’s annual Dream Day during which they presented a pair of $5,000 People Helping People scholarships to Carson Phillips and Michael Dellinger.
During Dream Day, the Foundation also honored recipients of the Bridge to Career Scholarships and presented an $18,000 check to Mayland. Phillips and some Bridge to Career scholarship recipients were on hand to be honored but Dellinger, of Elk Park, was not in attendance.
Kim Stephenson, SECU senior vice president, was joined at Dream Day by Burnsville SECU president Bobbi Eubanks and SECU Spruce Pine branch advisory board member Alex Glover.
The trio presented the $18,000 check to Dr. John Boyd, Mayland president and Margaret Earley-Thiele and Ted Ollis, both of the Mayland Scholarship Committee.
The SECU Foundation introduced the Bridge to Career program in 2018 to help students obtain careers with sustainable wages in their communities. Administered by each college, the initiative focuses on helping individuals find vocational and job placement opportunities through eligible training programs that lead to state-regulated or industry-recognized credentials.
Scholarship funding will be applied to educational expenses and other expenditures associated with their program of study through a North Carolina Community College workforce development program.
“This scholarship program is an essential piece of SECU Foundation’s scholarship offerings, filling the gap with support for individuals seeking a job in a high-demand trade industry or enhancing their education with new skills to advance their career,” said Jama Campbell, SECU Foundation executive director. “North Carolina has an excellent community college system and we are proud to work together with state educators to help North Carolinians work toward a better future. On behalf of SECU Foundation, we offer our congratulations to these recipients.”
SECU Foundation funding for the NC Community College System totals more than $1.6 million annually with the combined commitments for the SECU Bridge to Career and People Helping People scholarship programs.