Inna Shames and Margie Barber
The Women of Quail Creek’s (TWOQC) Scholarship Matching Funds Program is in its third year and going strong!
In 2023 a small group of donors who wanted to help grow the TWOQC Scholarship Program came up with a unique incentive: a donation of $40,000, which was to be used as a 2-to-1 matching fund for other TWOQC scholarship donations. For every $100 donated, the group would donate $200 more. Within a few months, and despite minimal fanfare, over $20,000 was collected from hundreds of donors large and small, and $60,000 was added to last year’s Scholarship Fund!
A Quick History of TWOQC Scholarships:
• It started in 2016 when two scholarships totaling $2,000 were awarded to two high school seniors.
• In 2021 TWOQC became a 501(c)(3) charitable organization to more effectively fulfill its mission as “… a Community of Women Dedicated to Learning, Giving, and Engaging.”
• Fast forward to 2025. In just nine years, the organization has gone from awarding two scholarships totaling $2,000 to awarding 27 scholarships totaling over $94,000! And cumulatively, since inception, TWOQC has awarded almost a third of a million dollars in scholarships.
Recipients of TWOQC scholarships fall into three categories: 1) HS: young women graduating high school from Rio Rico, Sahuarita, and Walden Grove High Schools; 2) PATH, which stand for Passion, Access, Tenacity, and Hope: recipients of an HS scholarship for a second year of funding; and 2) AWE (Advancing Women through Education): women over 21 at a transition point in their lives who need additional education or training. Scholarships cover tuition only, and all funds are paid directly to the educational institution, which can be a community college, an accredited trade or vocational school, or a certification program.
Funds for scholarships are raised through our annual Javelina Hoedown event and through generous donations from our members and supporters, including those participating in the Matching Funds Program.
Donating to the Matching Funds Program: Every $100 you donate to the Matching Funds Program puts $300 into the Scholarship Fund! But there’s more! Yes, as usual, your contribution is totally tax deductible, but if you plan for this year, remember that if your donation is paid directly to TWOQC from your annual RMD (Required Minimum Distribution), it will also qualify as an IRS-approved Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to provide you with even more tax savings.
There’s still time to donate to the Matching Funds Program. The program begins in September and runs through the end of February. Please mail a check made out to TWOQC with “Matching Funds” in the comment line to TWOQC, Attn: Scholarships, P.O. Box 395, Green Valley, AZ 85614, or contact Deb Melton, Director of Scholarships, at scholarships@womenqc.com, or visit womenqc.com/matching-funds-campaign for more details.