Students attending Beaufort County Community College and receiving aid through the BCCC Foundation had a chance to dine with their benefactors on March 20. The annual Legacy Luncheon brings together future accountants, auto mechanics, business owners, electrical engineers, nurses and teachers, along with the scholarship donors, many of whom are established in those fields. The BCCC gave out $38,000 more in scholarships in 2017 than 2016.

This year’s speakers included President Dave Loope, nursing student Tony Jordan, English instructor Lauri Evans, business student Jethzabel Alonso and agricultural education student Brooke Butler.

The BCCC Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization established in 1984 to provide community-based support for the college in achieving its educational and workforce development goals. Through the foundation, generous donors provide support for scholarships, institutional programs, faculty and staff development and facility improvements.

New scholarships become available as community members work with the foundation to provide new opportunities. Two recent scholarships include the Dr. Nancy Alford Memorial Scholarship and the Louise R. Lester Foundation Scholarship.

Established in 2018 by Joseph Alford in memory of his mother Dr. Nancy Alford, this scholarship provides educational opportunities for students demonstrating financial need. Dr. Nancy Boylan Alford was the owner and operator of Carriage House Psychological Associates in Roanoke Rapids. Dr. Alford and her husband Reverend John B. Alford Jr. spent 57 years together. The Alfords wants to keep her memory alive and foster the students who feel called or a sense of purpose by helping others. Scholarships are made available, but not limited, to students in the fields such as psychology, sociology, human services technology, and nursing.

Founded in 2001, the Louse R. Lester Foundation builds on the charitable works of Mrs. Louise Robertson Lester. Lester was a native of Martinsville, Va., and attended Bentley Business College, Gassaway Business College, and, later in life, Patrick Henry Community College and Averett College. She studied interior design, architecture and art. She was an accomplished artist, producing beautiful paintings, and a collection of her poetry has been published under the title of her life’s motto, “Life, Love and Laughter.” The foundation set up a scholarship at BCCC in 2018.

Activities of the foundation are overseen by a 24-member board of directors comprised of civic and business leaders from BCCC’s four-county service area. The BCCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and all contributions are tax deductible. Rod Cantrell, financial advisor at Edward Jones, sponsored the Legacy Luncheon for the sixth year in a row. In 2017, the foundation distributed $137,000 in scholarships, a 65% increase over the previous year.

For additional information about contributing to the BCCC Foundation or applying for scholarships, contact executive director Serena Sullivan at 252-940-6326 or serena.sullivan@beaufortccc.edu.