The TJC Foundation's 32nd annual scholarship golf tournament broke previous fundraising records, bringing in $100,000 in scholarship funds for TJC students.
For the seventh consecutive year, Azalea Orthopedics served as the title sponsor for the tournament, held recently at Hollytree Country Club.
The 79 TJC students who were awarded $1,000 scholarships from last year’s tournament served as tournament volunteers this year; and the TJC men’s and women’s golf teams also volunteered their time, raising donations with their “Buy a Drive” efforts at tee boxes throughout the course.
Student testimonials were featured as part of the pre-tournament luncheon, which was sponsored by Dakotas.
TJC President Dr. Juan E. Mejia, on behalf of the College, shared his appreciation during the luncheon.
“We are blessed to have community champions who serve as a cornerstone for the success of our students,” Mejia said. “We are about changing lives for the better, and together, we make our communities stronger. There is not a more philanthropic region than ours, and no one can do what we do, on a daily basis.”
He continued, “Great leaders coming together, having fun in a healthy environment, and for a great cause! Our students are the overall winners, and their efforts to better themselves through higher education are made easier through the scholarships created through your generous efforts. We are indeed on the cusp of greatness!”
Mejia then surprised seven TJC students with a Corporate Scholars award, which is a $5,000 two-year scholarship.
Corporate sponsors and the seven recipients with their hometowns and majors are:
• Brookshire’s: Evangeline Davies, Whitehouse, nursing
• Cloud Ingenuity: Anthony Watson, Rusk, nursing
• Delek Refining: Grant Sims, Lindale, general studies
• Express Employment Professionals: Grayson Sims, Lindale, business
• Flair Data Systems: Litsy Vellasenor, Chapel Hill, nursing
• Goldman Sachs: Garrett Sims, Lindale, general studies
• Suddenlink by Altice: Cameron Miller, Tyler, music
“Through the generosity of our sponsors and players, this annual tournament enables many students to attend TJC, which in turn builds our community through a better-prepared workforce,” said Mitch Andrews, TJC vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the TJC Foundation.
“We sincerely thank our tournament advisory committee chaired by Brian McCabe from Southside Bank, and a special thanks goes to our tournament advisory committee for their hard work and dedication to this event,” said Whitney Patterson, TJC director of annual giving.
Plans are already underway for next year’s tournament scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, at Hollytree Country Club in Tyler. Interested sponsors or players should contact Patterson at Whitney.Patterson@tjc.edu or by calling 903-510-3273.