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Earlier this summer, the Southside Virginia Community College Foundation hosted the Freddie Reekes Memorial Scholarship Golf Classic at the Lake Gaston Golf Club. During the event, teams of golfers competed for various prizes, but the most important winners were the students who will receive scholarships as a result of the funds raised.

The golf classic was inaugurated by Bobby Wrenn and Freddie Reekes in 2008. It quickly became one of the major components of the SVCC Foundation’s efforts to raise scholarship funds for deserving students. To honor Freddie’s memory and his life-long career spent helping and mentoring young people at Brunswick High School and SVCC, the event was renamed the Freddie Reekes Memorial Scholarship Golf Classic in 2017. Through it, Freddie’s legacy continues.

Jeremy Satterfield, one of the participating golfers who also serves on the Foundation Board, says, “I look forward to the Scholarship Golf Classic every June, as it’s one of my favorite events of the year! While it’s always a great day spent on the golf course, the best thing about it is that the funds raised each year assist students in pursuing their educational goals.”

The SVCC Foundation supports the growth, progress, and general welfare of SVCC and its students. Its work is guided by a Board of Directors who volunteer their expertise in guiding the Foundation’s work. The Foundation works to support and strengthen the college’s programs, and one of its major aims is to provide scholarships so that qualified students can achieve educational success.

The availability of multiple scholarships that employ different qualifying criteria assures that a broad spectrum of students receive aid. Some scholarships are based on academic merit, some on service recognition, some are need-based or program-based, and others rely on criteria such as residency or the high school a student attended. A single application available through an online portal (southside.edu/ scholarships) enables students to be considered for all the scholarships for which they are eligible.

Although community colleges offer the Commonwealth’s best tuition value, recent data suggest that 40% of Virginia households do not earn enough to cover their basic expenses. These necessities include housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and needed technology. In the ten counties that comprise SVCC’s service area, poverty and insufficient income levels are even more widespread. Without assistance in the form of scholarships and grants that do not have to be repaid, this reality can create a barrier to college education and career training.

Sally Tharrington, Director of Financial Aid, explains, “SVCC students deserve an opportunity to complete a college education debt free. Over 90% of students attending SVCC receive grants or scholarships to offset the cost of tuition, fees, and books so they can graduate debt free. Scholarships allow students not eligible for Financial Aid to attend SVCC without incurring debt. We are truly thankful for the donors who support our Foundation Office.”

The 2024 Golf Classic may be over, but the work of the Foundation continues all year long as it reaches out to students with hands-on help and encouragement. For more information about the Foundation, to make a donation, or to participate in upcoming fundraising initiatives, contact the SVCC Foundation by email at foundation@southside.edu or by phone at 434-949-1051 or 434-949-1008.

DR. QUENTIN R. JOHNSON is president of Southside Virginia Community College. He can be reached via email at quentin.johnson@ southside.edu.