Inna Shames
Have you seen all those recent The Women of Quail Creek (TWOQC) fundraising activities, including Javelina Hoedown and appeals for donations to a matching funds campaign for TWOQC Scholarships? This is why we do it—so that promising women in Pima and Santa Cruz Counties can get that little step up they need to further their education, their careers, and their dreams!
The Women of Quail Creek is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable association and offers two types of scholarships to local women:
1) Scholarships are available to young women graduating from Sahuarita, Walden Grove, and Rio Rico High Schools.
2) Scholarships are also available to Women in Transition (WIT). These scholarships are specifically designated for women older than 21 years who are residents of Pima and Santa Cruz Counties and interrupted their schooling due to family, financial, or personal reasons. It is important to note that although numerous scholarship opportunities exist for graduating high school seniors, there are few such opportunities for older women. Most WIT scholarship recipients are in their 20s and 30s, but many have been in their 40s and 50s.
Each scholarship of $2,500 for high school graduates and $3,500 for WIT recipients is paid directly to the school and can be used to offset tuition costs at community colleges, trade or technical schools, career certification programs, or four-year colleges and universities. The career goals of both categories of recipients have been quite diverse: Some have pursued careers in health care, including nursing and sports medicine, while others have completed degrees and/or certifications in teaching, social work, human resources, and even film and culinary arts.
TWOQC began offering scholarships in 2016, and with steady community support, the program has grown exponentially ever since. The number of scholarships awarded depends on the funding available. In 2023 the organization awarded nine scholarships to high school graduates and eight scholarships to WIT recipients.
Scholarship funding comes from our own Quail Creek community, along with Green Valley, Sahuarita, and Tubac businesses who donate goods and services for the Javelina Hoedown. The TWOQC Scholarship program would like to thank everyone for your support over the years. We could not do this without you!
Scholarship applications are available online at womenqc.com/scholarships, and applications are due at the end of March. See the website for details. Questions can be emailed to Deb Melton, director of scholarships, at [email protected].
So, help us spread the word! If you know women who would qualify for and benefit from either a high school scholarship or a TWOQC WIT scholarship, please pass this information on to them! Please mark your calendar for Scholarship Awards Night on May 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Madera Clubhouse Ballroom. The whole community is invited to attend and hear inspiring stories from scholarship recipients!