Donors and scholars gathered Wednesday for Sampson Community College’s annual Scholar-Donar Picnic, an opportunity for scholarship recipients to meet those whose contributions are helping make their education possible.
The Warren Student Center buzzed with conversation as students and donors shared a meal before scholarship recipients were recognized.
Sampson Community College Foundation Executive Director Lisa Turlington announced each scholarship, inviting recipients, donors and foundation members to gather for photos commemorating the occasion.
Scholarships representing different departments and honoring or remembering numerous community members were recognized throughout the event, with speakers emphasizing an impact that extends beyond the individual students to the community they will eventually serve.
SCC Foundation Board of Directors President Brooks Barwick thanked donors for their support of students and, in turn, the community.
“That’s what makes the world go ’round — your belief in the students,” Barwick told the donors before turning his attention to the recipients. “To students: Way to show them what their belief is doing.”
Dr. Mac Herring, a donor, took the opportunity to share some of the history behind Sampson Community College, initially named Sampson Technical Institute and founded in the late 1960s by Herring’s father-in-law, John Thurman Denning.
Herring said Denning, who served as superintendent of Sampson County Schools, worked to create what eventually became SCC.
“He wouldn’t believe what the school has become,” Herring stressed, emphasizing the importance of younger generations knowing the college’s history.
SCC President Dr. Bill Starling noted that North Carolina’s 100 counties are served by 58 community colleges, emphasizing the importance of investing in local education to help communities thrive.
Starling expressed his gratitude for Denning and his “vision in the 1960s,” which eventually grew into the college of today. He also pointed to the “amazing growth on this campus.”
Starling urged donors to “keep giving,” stressing that “your gifts do make a difference in the lives of our students.”
SCC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Blair Hairr said one of the most meaningful parts of the picnic is bringing together the two sides of each scholarship.
“One of the most exciting things is connecting donors and scholars,” Hairr shared. “For scholars to meet the faces behind the scholarships that make it possible for them to continue their education, and for donors to meet and see what their contributions are doing in the community” is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
Hairr said more than 20 percent of Sampson County residents live in poverty, making scholarships especially important for students who are often juggling several responsibilities at once.
“Many of our students are balancing being parents, working full time, and being in school full time,” she added. “Lessening the burden of tuition helps them see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
After every name had been called, Turlington concluded the formal portion of the gathering by telling those in attendance, “We are proud of our scholars and thankful to our donors,” before inviting both groups to continue spending time together.
Donors Paul and Lisa Recchuiti and scholar Noah Carter did just that.
The Recchuitis said this was the first Donor Scholar Picnic they had been able to attend, and they arrived hoping for the chance to find the recipient of their scholarship.
“Luckily, we sat right across from each other,” Lisa Recchuiti said.
Education, she explained, has always been important to their family.
“Education is what opens doors,” she stressed. “In fact, the scholarship is in honor of Paul’s mom, who started in a not-so-wealthy family but went on to get a bachelor’s degree and later a master’s as well.”
Paul Recchuiti said it was rewarding to learn more about Carter and discover that he is “a full-time student and worker.”
The group talked about Carter’s job at Lowe’s and his plans for the future, while Carter explained how important the scholarship has been to continuing his education.
“It made me feel a lot better. I didn’t get any financial aid, so this is a huge help,” said Carter, a freshman studying business administration.
Students Brandi Sessoms and Trenton Correcia also expressed gratitude for opportunities they said would not have been possible without the scholarships they received.
Sessoms, who is studying cosmetology, said she is excited to “get out into the industry to help people feel better about themselves,” an opportunity she said her scholarship helped make possible.
Correcia echoed those sentiments while discussing his studies in construction management.
“It wouldn’t have been possible otherwise,” he emphasized.