PRESS RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 2022

Woman’s Club of Palatka awards scholarships to SJR State students

For the second year, the GFWC Woman's Club of Palatka joined St. Johns River State College (SJR State) Foundation to multiply scholarship dollars for deserving SJR State students and Putnam County residents Julie Bennett, Mary Givens and Kelsey Wilkinson.

Annually, the Woman's Club of Palatka raises funds to award scholarships to outstanding students to cover out-of-pocket expenses and lighten financial pressure. By partnering with the SJR State Foundation this year, the scholarship award grew from $3,000 to $9,000 through matching funds.

“As the GFWC Palatka Education Chairman, I am proud to partner with the SJR State Foundation for a second year,” said Chair Mary Crawford. “We raised $3,000.00 for and SJR State Foundation tripled those funds, which were divided among the three recipients. I am so pleased that the funds will stay in Putnam County, allowing this year’s scholarship candidates to concentrate on their studies, rather than worrying where their funds will come from.”

The scholarships were presented during a luncheon where Givens shared a bit of her journey, noting that she was handed many lemons in life. “I’m honored to be a recipient of these scholarship awarded from The GFWC Woman's Club of Palatka. This scholarship will help me continue my education to become an RN. This is another added sweetener to the lemonade I’ve made from all of the lemons.”

Bennett is currently working on her Associates in Arts degree, and Wilkinson is pursuing an Associates in Arts degree along with prerequisites for the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Bridge program.

“We are beyond grateful for our civic partners’” said SJR State Director of Fundraising and Alumni Engagement Brian Bergen. “Being able to partner to provide scholarships for students at SJR State is exciting. We are directly contributing to student success.”

To learn more about partnering the SJR State Foundation to provide student scholarships, visit SJRstate.edu/foundation or email the Foundation at .




PHOTO CAPTION:
SJR State student Mary Givens receives a scholarship from the GFWC Woman’s Club of Palatka. Not pictured is Julie Bennett and Kelsey Wilkinson. From left are SJR State Annual Giving and Engagement Coordinator Bailey Akin, SJR State scholarship recipient Mary Givens, and GFWC Woman's Club of Palatka Education Chair Mary Crawford.

 

 

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