Rotary Club of Asheville hosts Asheville High fundraiser on Aug. 9

Press release from the Rotary Club of Asheville:

The Rotary Club of Asheville will present the Second Annual Nashville Songwriters in the Round Concert on Thursday, August 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Highland Brewing Company. Songwriters will sing and play and share the stories of songs you know and love, in an intimate and unique “round” setting. Tickets are on sale at https://rotarysongwriters.eventbrite.com or by calling 828-768-1808. All proceeds are to benefit the Tennent Scholarship Fund. For more information, contact Lauren Foster at lauren@behappyfirst.org.

About the Rotary Club of Asheville & Tennent Scholarship Fund

The Rotary Club of Asheville supports a number of local, regional, and international projects but none more important than its needs-based Buzz Tennent Scholarship program.  The scholarship is named for Mr. Buzz Tennent, a past president of the local Asheville club who went on to be president of Rotary International from 1957-58, a remarkable achievement considering Tennent’s small-town roots. In the spirit of Buzz Tennent’s achievement, the program targets bright students with potential but with limited resources who are working hard to overcome obstacles in order to be successful.  The ideal student candidate is academically-talented but unable to avail him or herself of more traditional academic or sports based scholarships. The Tennent Scholarship is open to Asheville High School seniors with at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA who rank in the top 20% of their class and have a demonstrated financial need.  The selection committee evaluates applicants’ leadership, maturity, responsibility, personal outlook, ability to learn, as well as grades and test scores.  Although the amount of the scholarship varies, the intent is to provide a substantial contribution to the student’s academic resources.  Since 1998 the scholarship has assisted three to five students annually, awarding an average of $7500-10,000 per year in total scholarships.

About the Tennent Scholarship Recipients:

Typical candidates come from families who are unable to provide much financial help for college.  They may have worked part time or seasonal jobs to help with family needs rather than save for college. This often puts them at a disadvantage when competing against fellow students who do not have to work and have the freedom to focus solely on academics and extracurricular activities.

For example, one recent recipient, “Hunter,” grew up on a farm and had to get up much earlier each morning than any of his fellow students to work on the farm before leaving for school.  Although his grades were excellent, and he excelled in sports, he could not work and save money for college because he had to help his parents on the farm.

Similarly, another recipient, “Kearra,” came from a single-parent family that was not financially secure, but Kearra worked hard to develop herself.  She completed several summer internships and was a participant in the City of Asheville Youth Leadership program.  A volunteer for Manna and Habitat for Humanity, Kearra exhibited outstanding character and personality and was involved in multiple high school clubs and extracurricular activities, graduating from Asheville High with a 4.0 weighted GPA and admission to UNCG with the assistance of the Tennent Scholarship.

One past scholarship recipient, Runda Alamour, now a teacher at Asheville High said, “It is interesting how life often seems to come full circle.  In 2011, I graduated from Asheville High School and was a recipient of the Buzz Tennent Scholarship.  I know that your scholarship program was an instrumental part of aiding me in obtaining financial security for my first year at UNC Asheville.”

In the words of Erika Germer, the City of Asheville’s Workforce Development Director, “Thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Asheville and the Buzz Tennent Scholarship, deserving students are making their dreams of college come true!”