Two weeks prior, PCI hosted its very first Scholarship Award Ceremony and Banquet, a culmination of the brand new PCI Scholarship Program. Beginning in March of 2023, PCI created this program to provide students with the financial support to continue their paths toward higher education. Many students of minority backgrounds face economic barriers that prevent them from pursuing college education, and this program helps students break through these barriers with a financial boost toward their tuition and supplies.
This year, we had over thirty students apply for the scholarships, and with the combined efforts of our specially selected committee, we chose ten students to be awarded the scholarship in our first run. These students showed a promising future and a drive toward community improvement and personal success, and we are very proud of the students that our committee has selected.
We invited these ten students, their families, and friends to our Award Ceremony and Banquet, which we hosted at the Fox Club at the Timber Rattlers Stadium. Alongside the students, we’ve had over 100 members and leaders of our community arrive to show their support. Our guests have included members of the Appleton Police Department, the Appleton Area School District, MCU, NEW Hmong, and local businesses like Taperz Barbershop and The Jerk Joint. Also joining us in our award ceremony was YoDJ, who provided entertainment and dance music for the guests to enjoy!
As we presented the winning students with custom-made certificates congratulating them on winning, we also provided our guests with more information about Pointters Community Initiatives and our drive to help the community. We expressed our gratitude for the community’s help and provided services for guests to donate to our organization. Our gifts included special envelopes for people to place their donations in and a silent auction for people to bid towards some special gift boxes we’ve provided.
Overall, the reception to this event was overwhelmingly positive. We received many words of appreciation and affirmation from our guests and students who attended this event. We have also met with our committee members and received some well-appreciated feedback on ways to improve our scholarship program in the future, which we’ve taken to heart and immediate implementation.
In regards to donations, we were able to receive up to $650 in donations from our guests at the event itself. Any form of support that guests could provide was greatly appreciated!
While we prepare for our next Scholarship Ceremony in the Spring of 2024, feel free to apply for one of our scholarships at www.pointters.org/scholarship. We look forward to seeing what the future of Scholarship holds and what other special students we will discover along the way!
