Sunday, September 05, 2010
The Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance’s Armed Forces Committee awarded four scholarships to local folks who are or have been in the armed forces and are trying to get their degrees.
I talked with the chair of the Alliance’s Armed Forces Committee Veterans Support Group Janice Lewis to find out just what the organization was all about. The group is made up of business folks who belong to the Alliance, who volunteer their time to help out local military families.
“We’re thankful for what they do for us,” Lewis says, “and we want to support them however we can.”
The group’s major fundraiser each year is the Red, White and Blue 5K, which usually takes place on Armed Forces Day in May. They also host the Triangle’s 9/11 Freedom Walk each year.
The proceeds from the events go toward a quarterly gift to a member of the active duty military selected for recognition by a commanding officer. These armed services members get a gift of books from the Armed Forces Committee, as well as a gift card to a restaurant.
The annual scholarship fund also comes out of the proceeds from the 5K. This year, the group had $2,000 to share.
To qualify, applicants had to be within their second semester of college or beyond; have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better; be active duty, retired, or honorably discharged from the military; and work, live or attend school in the area.
One of this year’s four winners, Erica McGee, picked up $700 to help with her tuition expenses.
McGee, who was in the Air Force for a total of eight years, is enrolled at Thomas Nelson Community College and is working on getting her degree in Social Science. She is the vice president of the TNCC chapter of Phi Beta Kappa International Honor Society and hopes to complete her degree at William and Mary.
“This scholarship helps out a lot,” she says, “as a single mother with three kids.”
Some people would find this to be a challenge, but McGee loves children – in fact, she plans to use her degree to eventually work with special needs kids.
Currently she works at James City County Parks and Recreation, and before that she worked with special needs children.
Many kids with special needs just need someone to listen to them, McGee says, “and I want to be that person. I want to listen to them and be in their corner.”
Congrats to McGee and the other three recipients: Andrew Richardson Barnett, formerly of the Army National Guard; Jodie Leigh Davis, active duty military dependent; and Anthony Tyrkala, formerly with the U.S. Army.
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